With uncertainties surrounding Justin Brownlee’s future to play for Meralco in the East Asia Super League, Ange Kouame, the other naturalized player, is likely to take over the spot of the beloved resident Gilas Pilipinas reinforcement ahead of the Bolts’ first home game on Saturday to be held at the 10,000-seater Capital Arena in Ilagan City, Isabela.
Bolts team manager Paolo Trillo confirmed this development to Pinoystep.com just a few hours after his arrival after the team’s 72-82 loss to the Taoyuan Pauian Patriots over the weekend.
“It’s no secret that Ange Kouame is the only other available naturalized player after Justin Brownlee, so Ange taking over the spot of Justin Brownlee is always a possibility,” Trillo said in a telephone interview. “The guy also played for us last time we competed in the EASL, so it won’t be surprising to see him playing for us again.”
According to Trillo, Koaume was included in the 20-man line up submitted to the EASL even before the season started.
Kouame arrived recently and is expected to use the remaining three days of preparation to get in better shape and reacquaint himself to the Bolts’ system.
Aside from playing in the EASL, Kouame also played a few years ago with the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters where he served as import in the William Jones Cup tournament, but was unable to suit up in the PBA because of the 6-foot-9 height restrictions.
In the EASL. Koaume will become the fourth reinforcement of Meralco to join three-time Best Import Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Puerto Rico national team star Ismael Romero and another newcomer who is set to see action for the first time for the Bolts — Iranian star Sina Vahedi.
An Olympian who also became a FIBA Asia Cup All-Star, the 24-year-old, 6-foot-1 Vahedi will finally complete the list of reinforcements of the Bolts, who had been decimated and banged up in the first two games of competing in this prestigious tournament.
The Bolts had been seeing in action with key players playing in pain, among them include veteran cagers Cliff Hodge and Chris Banchero as well as CJ Cansino, who skipped the team’s previous game as he was nursing a sprained ankle.
But with the Bolts facing a must-win situation after going 0-2 in Group B of the standings, expect these walking wounded players to suit up in the Corn Capital of the Philippines where they are set to feel the warmth and the love of the Ilagueños.
Meralco is no stranger to playing at the Capital Arena as the team defeated Rain or Shine in the PBA’s first out-of-town preseason game this season.
