Purefoods ace leads All-Star reserves

MANILA, Philippines - Purefoods’ Peter June Simon, the PBA All-Star Game MVP winner in Bacolod last year, was among the players chosen as reserves for the South and North teams challenging the Powerade Team Pilipinas in a three-game series in the 2009 edition of the annual mid-season spectacle slated April 22-26.

Rain or Shine’s Jay-R Reyes, Alaska’s LA Tenorio, Barako Bull’s Gabby Espinas, Sta. Lucia’s Joseph Yeo and Burger King’s JR Quinahan will be first-time All-Star Game participants as they were also named reserves in this year’s event deviating from the traditional North versus South format to help the RP team in its preparation for the forthcoming FIBA Asia world championship qualifier.

Alaska’s Reynel Hugnatan and John Ferriols, Burger King’s Gary David and Ginebra’s Ronald Tubid were the other players chosen to play coming off the bench in the 2009 Motolite PBA All-Star Extravaganza.

Casting the votes were the league’s 10 head coaches.

Simon, Hugnatan, Ferriols, Quinahan and Tubid complete the South team which has Jay Washington, Eric Menk, Dorian Peña, Dondon Hontiveros and Jimmy Alapag as starters.

Reyes, David, Tenorio, Espinas and Yeo will be subbing for the North team which has Marc Pingris, Enrico Villanueva, Danny Ildefonso, Mark Cardona and Paul Artadi for a starting cast.

Both teams will be reinforced by three imports each, but only two will be allowed to play at a time.

Peña and Ildefonso, the next players with the most number of votes, were adjudged starters, taking over from injured players Danny Seigle and Lordy Tugade. Ildefonso sees action in his eighth All-Star Game while Peña will be playing his second All-Star.