Wise words for Barako import

MANILA, Philippines - Former PBA import Francois Wise said the other day he advised his son Eric, now with Barako Bull in the Governors Cup, to work hard, be ready to play 48 minutes and enjoy his stay in the Philippines because the fans really love the game.

Wise, 55, told The Star in a text message from Los Angeles that he’s very proud of his son, the youngest of four children with wife Bonita. Wise played in five PBA seasons with U-Tex, Tanduay, Manila Beer and Hills Brothers (now Alaska) from 1981 to 1987. Known as The Hulk, the burly 6-5, 240-pound forward from Long Beach State averaged 36.7 points, 15.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists in 118 PBA games. In 1983, he scored a career-high 74 points for Tanduay. Wise used to work for the Carson Community Development but over the last 26 years, has been with the Los Angeles Police Department, Wilshire Division.

“I’m very proud of Eazy as everyone calls Eric,” said Wise. “I told him the Philippines is a great place to play basketball, (the fans) really love the game and appreciate the imports who come and play there. Also, just play hard and be ready for 48 minutes. The team needs you to rebound. I know Eazy can score with the best of them. More importantly, I told him the people are really nice.”

Wise said since leaving Manila in 1987, he hasn’t been back and is looking forward to returning and reuniting with old friends, fans and sportswriters. “If I don’t see him play this season and they have him come back, I’ll come then,” he said. “My daughter (Bonita) was supposed to come last year and play volleyball but ended up going back to Chile.”

Wise’s daughter Bonita, 32, was born in Manila and is the oldest child. Named after her mother, she was a volleyball star at the University of Cincinnati and is now on her 11th season as a pro volleyball import. She has played in Spain, Chile, Holland, Croatia and Argentina. Another son Cameron used to play basketball at Waldorf College, an NAIA school in Iowa. Sports is in the Wise genes. Wise’s older brother Willie was a three-time ABA All-Star who led the Utah Stars to the ABA title in 1970-71 and played for Denver and Seattle in the NBA. Wise himself was the Washington Bullets (now Wizards) fourth round pick in the 1980 NBA draft and came close to playing for Washington and the Portland Trail Blazers. Wise is a Long Beach State Hall of Famer and is the school’s all-time leader in rebounding. He finished his four-year varsity career with 1,305 points to rank eighth in the all-time ladder.

As for Eric, he said his father taught him everything about the game but feels no pressure in following his footsteps in the PBA. “My dad told me it’s a physical league and I’ve got to work hard every game,” he said.

Eric played three years with the University of California at Irvine varsity then transferred to the University of Southern California for his last year of NCAA eligibility. A cousin Jaha Wilson had played with the Trojans. Eric averaged 14.0 points and 6.3 rebounds in three years at Irvine and hit at an 11.9 clip with USC in 2012-13.

In the PBA, Eric is playing multiple positions. “I’m more of a three player but I can play four, too,” he said. “When I’m up against bigger guys, I try to use my quickness to gain an advantage.” Eric, 24, was measured 6-4 7/16 in the official league sizing.

The PBA is only the second overseas league he’s playing in. Eric’s coming off a stint with the Soluevre club in Luxembourg where he averaged 28.8 points, 11.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 11 games. Eric shot 57 percent from two-point range, 42 percent from beyond the arc and 81 percent from the line. He also played briefly with the Iowa Energy in the NBA D-League.

In his PBA debut last Sunday, Eric was named Best Player for leading Barako to a 95-94 squeaker over Meralco with 33 points, 16 rebounds and six assists in 41 minutes. With the score tied at 94-all and time down to 1.3 seconds, Wise went to the stripe for two free throws. He made the first foul shot and deliberately missed the second in a “wise” decision to kill the time left and not allow the clock to stop and give the Bolts a chance to score on a last possession. The win marked coach Siot Tanquingcen’s debut on the Energy Cola bench.

Wise got a taste of physical defense in Barako’s 76-66 loss to San Mig Coffee last Wednesday. He bled for his 25 points, defended by Marc Pingris, and grabbed 15 rebounds before fouling out. Wise plays his third game with the Energy Cola against Air21 at the Mall of Asia Arena at 2:45 this afternoon.