Incoming sophomore forward Ken Tuffin is confident Phoenix Super LPG will return to playoff contention when the Philippine Basketball Association begins its new season on August 18.
Speaking to Pinoystep.com, Tuffin, the 6-foot-4, Fil-Kiwi, believes hunger plays a big factor in Phoenix’s rise from its previous disappointing finish in the season-ending conference last season.
The Fuel Masters had a dismal 11th-place finish right after a strong ending in the Commissioner’s Cup where they reached as far as the Final Four.
“I’m very excited and I think with Phoenix in the PBA, we drafted well. We’re looking forward to this season and we’ll be training really well. We want to make up for last conference’s shortage, the first conference we made the semis, and last time, we didn’t make the playoffs,” said Tuffin.
“We’re coming in quite hungry and we’re really determined to make our way back to the playoffs. We’re really excited.”
Head coach Jamike Jarin is hoping that the brand new season presents a more promising outlook for the Fuel Masters.
Over the past three seasons, the team had utilized the PBA Rookie Draft, finding gems of a talent like guard Tyler Tio, Tuffin and Ricci Rivero among others.
This season, the Fuel Masters are bringing in Kai Ballungay, a 6-foot-7 stretch big, who has the making of a big star.
“The way I see him, he reminds me so much of a young Troy Rosario. He’s a big man who can shoot,” said Jarin in a mobile interview. “In the past, we were searching for horses and we got thoroughbreds. Now, we looked for a car and we found a Lamborghini in Ballungay.”
According to Jarin, he sees so much upside on Ballungay.
“The guy is only 22 years old and yet he plays with so much intelligence when he was playing in the UAAP,” added Jarin. “What more do we expect from him two years from now? He could be an impactful player.”
Ballungay signed a three-year deal with Phoenix, but he was the only player who was accommodated by the Fuel Masters.
Phoenix was forced to release third-round pick CJ Payawal, who eventually wound up with TNT.
With Ballungay filling in the missing piece and import Jayveous McKinnis providing the athleticism and inside presence the Fuel Masters need, Jarin and his troops are ready to roll, but the coach, who is currently on his second season as full-time mentor thinks it’s going to be an uphill battle for them.
“When you are grouped with a San Miguel or Ginebra, you know you are in a group of death,” added Jaron. “But we’re keeping our hopes high and let’s see if we can be able to make it to the next round.
Joining Phoenix, Ginebra and San Miguel in Group B are Rain or Shine, Blackwater and NLEX.
Bracketed in Group A are Magnolia, TNT, Meralco, Terrafirma, NorthPort and Converge.
