Blackwater is unbeaten in three games since import George King stormed into town and the Bossing’s win streak will be on the line in a rematch with Barangay Ginebra in the PBA Governors’ Cup at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium tonight. In their first Group B meeting, Blackwater upset Ginebra, 95-88, as King made an auspicious debut last Aug. 30.
Ever Bilena CEO and Blackwater owner Dioceldo Sy said before signing up King, he was promised no disappointments. “George’s agent described him as a young (Justin) Brownlee,” said Sy. “So far, so good. I told George if he takes us to the semis, we’ll extend him to the Commissioner’s Cup even if he’s 6-4 1/2 and there’s no height limit for imports in the next conference.” Brownlee is Ginebra’s resident import and Sy said he’s offering the same role to King.
“What I like about George is his attitude,” said Sy. “He works hard, he gets along with his teammates, he’s coachable, he’s a Christian and he’s a quality player.” King’s parents were both US military veterans. His father George Sr. was with the Army and his mother Tresse was a Chief Master Sergeant with the Air Force. His mother was deployed in seven destinations and died in Kuwait at 54 in 2021. King, 30, played four years at the University of Colorado and was the Phoenix Suns’ second-round pick in the 2018 NBA draft. He played a game on a two-way contract with the Suns in 2018-19 and four contests on a 10-day contract with Dallas in 2021-22. Among his NBA teammates were Devin Booker, Mikal Bridges, Jalen Brunson, Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis. King singled out Jamal Crawford as his best NBA buddy.
The Philippines is King’s sixth overseas stop after Italy, Poland, Germany, Australia and Israel. He was on the US team that saw action in the FIBA World Cup 2023 Americas qualifiers. Asked why he wears No. 94, King jokingly said that’s his three-point percentage. Actually, it’s his reminder to play the 94-foot length of the court from end to end.
King is averaging 38.7 points, 15.7 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 42:10 minutes, shooting .467 from four, .400 from three and .788 from the line. But it’s not just King who’s making Blackwater hum. There’s another player who’s unbeaten since his activation. Point guard RK Ilagan started the season on the injured reserve list and got back on the court in time to join Blackwater’s three-game win spree. He’s averaging 10.7 points, hitting 40 percent from four and 50 percent from three. As a team, Blackwater is No. 1 in the league in perimeter points and taking 41.4 percent of its field goal attempts from deep. The long bomb is a weapon that coach Jeff Cariaso has used to get Blackwater back on track after starting out at 0-3. Aside from King and Ilagan, Cariaso’s other reliables are Sedrick Barefield, Troy Rosario, Christian David, James Kwekuteye and Justin Chua.
Ginebra is also on a roll, coming off two straight wins. Coach Tim Cone’s squad is No. 1 in assists and No. 3 in defense, giving up an average of 92.4 points. Lack of depth appears to be an issue. Brownlee, Japeth Aguilar, Scottie Thompson and Stephen Holt are logging at least 30 minutes each with Ginebra last in bench points at 16.4 a game. Cone, however, likes to keep a tight rotation and for as long as his nucleus is able to dictate the tempo, he’s not worried. Tonight’s encounter with Blackwater could be payback for Ginebra and will be a test for King if he’s the real deal.