Gregorio says import not issue

MANILA, Philippines - Meralco coach Ryan Gregorio said the other day import Brian Butch’s numbers in the Bolts’ 94-76 loss to San Miguel Beer indicate he’s not the problem but a major part of the solution to bring the team back into championship contention.

Butch, the tallest import in the conference at 6-10 1/4, compiled 29 points and 21 rebounds with three steals and two blocked shots in 42 minutes in his PBA Commissioner’s Cup debut at the Smart Araneta Coliseum last Friday. Jared Dillinger, playing point guard in place of injured Mike Cortez, was scoreless in 25 minutes. The Beermen blew the Bolts off the court with more assists, 27-8, rebounds, 56-49, second chance points, 26-18, three-point shots, 6-3, fastbreak points, 16-6 and steals, 10-7. San Miguel also limited Meralco to 35 percent field goal shooting.

Cortez’ absence was telling. He tore the meniscus in his right knee during a Meralco game against Globalport last Dec. 28 and sat out the Bolts’ last five games of the Philippine Cup. Meralco failed to qualify for the playoffs. Meralco media officer Virgil Villavicencio said Cortez may be back in action within two or three weeks but Gregorio wasn’t too optimistic, listing him as “uncertain” for the Commissioner’s Cup.

Dillinger tried to fill in for Cortez last Friday but was in no condition to play. “J. D. played sick,” said Gregorio. “Blood tests show that he has an acute respiratory bacterial infection. He has been instructed to stay home and take the prescribed anti-biotics and meds.” Gregorio said Butch delivered big numbers against San Miguel and “the import is not yet an issue.” What he mentioned to be critical is local support which was clearly lacking in the San Miguel game where the Meralco bench was outscored, 40-12.

There was talk that one of Gregorio’s import candidates Darnell Jackson of the University of Kansas is now available to play here. Jackson, 28, has played for Cleveland, Milwaukee and Sacramento in three NBA seasons. D. J. White of Indiana University and Jackson were high on Gregorio’s wish list for this conference but neither was available when the signing deadline came. Instead, Gregorio brought Butch over. So far, he hasn’t regretted the choice.

Butch, 29, played four years at the University of Wisconsin and was on the varsity squad that won the Big Ten tournament in 2008. He saw action in the NCAA Elite Eight in 2005 and Sweet Sixteen in 2008. A Dirk Nowitzki play-alike, Butch suited up for the third place US team at the Pan American Games in Mexico in 2011 along with former PBA import Donald Sloan and New Orleans Pelicans’ Greg Stiemsma. The US lost to Mexico in the semifinals and beat the Dominican Republic for the bronze.

Meralco and Air21 are the only two PBA teams allowed to recruit an import up to 6-11 in the second conference because they didn’t make it to the playoffs in the Philippine Cup. The limit for other imports is 6-9. “I’m the tallest import and a target,” said Butch. “I know the PBA is a physical league. I don’t mind the contact, I’m used to it. What I like is the winning attitude of our team. Growing up, my mindset has always been to win as a team, not individual stats. That’s the same mindset at Meralco. It’s not about individual stats, it’s about winning as a team. I love it in the Philippines. I’ve heard so much about the country. It’s a great situation for a basketball player to be in.”

A few years ago, Butch was in a list of candidate naturalized players for the SBP to consider. Former Gilas and now Meralco team manager Butch Antonio confirmed it. “Brian and Marcus (Douthit) have the same agent,” said Antonio. “I remember Brian was on the list. Marcus was eventually chosen.”

Butch said without hesitation, he wouldn’t mind playing for the Philippines as a naturalized citizen. But the problem is he’s seen action with the US national team previously and under FIBA rules, a national cager is permitted to play for only one country in his lifetime.

Asked if the US played Puerto Rico at the Pan American Games, Butch said they squared off in a friendly so he’s familiar with the team. “Can the Philippines beat Puerto Rico in the FIBA World Cup?” Butch was asked. “I think that’s 50-50,” he replied. “I know the talent in the Philippine league. I think the Philippines will be competitive in the World Cup. Puerto Rico’s big guys are getting old and slow. Then, there’s Renaldo Balkman and we all know he’s crazy. I know what he did in the PBA.”

Puerto Rico’s 7-1 starting center Daniel Santiago, an NBA veteran, is 37. Aside from Santiago and Balkman, Puerto Rico will be bannered by two other NBA veterans J. J. Barea and Carlos Arroyo.

Butch, nicknamed the Polar Bear, showed up to play with the Wisconsin varsity weighing only 185 pounds as a freshman. He took a red-shirt year and added 30 pounds. Eventually, his weight climbed to 240. As a collegiate junior, Butch suffered a horrific injury when he landed on his right elbow during a game against Ohio State in 2006-07. Butch screamed in pain as he walked off the court with his elbow dangling and dislocated. The next season, he came back with a vengeance to average 12.4 points and 6.6 rebounds. He wound up his Badgers career as one of only eight Wisconsin players to score at least 1,000 points and grab at least 650 boards.