GIN KINGS PLOT BOUNCEBACK

Barangay Ginebra will be a team on a mission in the import-flavored, hopefully fan-attended PBA Governors’ Cup.

The Gin Kings hardly posed a threat in the recent Philippine Cup and bombed out in the quarterfinals – a big letdown for a squad that conquered last year’s All-Filipino bubble in Clark as well as the preceding 2019 Governors’ Cup.

“We definitely took a step back after winning back-to-back championships. But we’re now working to take two steps forward and get back to the top,” Ginebra coach Tim Cone told The STAR. “We need to be able to compete with the San Miguels and TNTs of the league.”

Despite beefing up the championship roster with Christian Standhardinger, the Gin Kings struggled big time in their Philippine Cup title defense. They managed only four wins in the elims and had to go through a playoff for the eighth spot against Phoenix before reaching the quarterfinals.

In the end, Cone’s embattled charges couldn’t stop the inevitable and yielded to top seed and eventual champion TNT Tropang Giga in the quarterfinals.

Now, Ginebra is plotting its mighty bounceback with the tried-and-tested Justin Brownlee in tow in the second conference that’s targeted to start on Nov. 28 at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City.

The Gin Kings also worked out a trade with NorthPort to acquire big man Sidney Onwubere in exchange for Art dela Cruz Jr.

“In Sidney, we saw a player who’s shown flashes of solid potential,” Cone said of the 6-foot-4 Onwubere, who averaged 9.6 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.2 assists for NorthPort. “We’re hoping we can bring more out of his game at Ginebra.”

After two import-less meets in a closed stadium, the PBA is looking to bring back foreign reinforcements and possibly a live audience. And Ginebra, the crowd darling, would be the most excited if such materializes.

“We’re all, to a man, looking forward to imports and fans. It would give us a feel of the normalcy that we have yearned for,” said Cone.