Governors Cup: Another showcase of quality imports

Damien Owens has some unfinished business.

Derrick Brown will try – again – to win the big one.

Sean Chambers, well, he’s been around for so long that one can’t say enough of the man.

And Rossell Ellis will try to stick around for as long as he could.

Such are the tales of four imports debuting today as the season-ending tournament of the 2001 Philippine Basketball Association, the Governors Cup, finally gets off the ground at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.

Owens will see action for the second straight tournament for the Realtors, who will collide with Swift and Ellis in the 3:30 p.m. contest, even as Chambers and Brown take the floor later for Alaska and Purefoods in the 5:45 p.m. match.

Owens was a revelation in the Commissioner’s Cup, a tournament which he nearly dominated despite being almost four inches short of the required height limit, taking the Realtors all the way to the quarterfinals.

He came in with just four games left in the elimination round and he spearheaded the Realtors in winning three of them. And with a full tournament ahead of him, it seems that the Realtors’ chances here indeed look bright.

Ellis, on the other hand, could be classified as an import-returnee, though he has yet to play an official game on Philippine soil. The 6-foot-six swingman was originally chosen by Mobiline for the Commissioner’s Cup, but left the club in huff upon learning that the Phone Pals had contacted Jerod Ward, a much bigger man, for the job.

Reports coming from Swift say that Ellis has the talent to play and that the Panthers have put the bet on him to be their import here. But whether or not he is that good remains to be seen, because Mobiline, now known as Talk N Text, did not give him a call for this conference.

Sta. Lucia clearly has one of the most explosive imports in the field in the youthful Owens, while Alaska and the Tender Juicy Hotdogs have experience in their roster with Chambers and Brown returning for yet another tour of duty.

Chambers has played for Alaska each year since 1989 and is the most successful import this league has ever seen. He played a cameo role in the Commissioner’s Cup and almost led the Aces to the Finals despite standing only 6-feet flat.

Coach Tim Cone is saying that Chambers’ return s primarily aimed at helping the whole team mature, with the core of Alaska being one of the youngest in the league after a revamp that took place at the start of the year.

Chambers can plug any hole on any team with his versatility, and in a tournament that has a 6-foot-4 height limit, the Aces won’t be giving away much in height with a frontline that also has Don Allado and Ali Peek.