It will be recalled that before the 23rd August PBA Rookie Draft, Meralco was reported to be interested in selecting the best young big men from the pool of league aspirants.
But the Bolts silently acquired the big men they badly needed in the previous years. They got the much-needed shot in the arm when Rabeh Al-Hussaini returned to the country after settling personal matters in Kuwait.
The buildup continued by getting a few more big men, with free agents Brian Faundo from Blackwater and Justin Chua from Barako Bull signing up for the squad.
With the frontline pretty much set up, the Bolts decided to change route in the draft and took guards Chris Newsome with the fourth overall pick and Baser Amer with the seventh pick.
"Initially we wanted to get bigs, but when we started getting bigs from the free agency, the only thing we were thinking about is improving our shooting guard position and point guard position," head coach Norman Black told InterAksyon.com in an exclusive interview.
"Chris Newsome was on top of our list for the shooting guard. Scottie Thompson was No. 2. Had Rain or Shine picked Newsome, we would have taken Thompson, but we were able to get Chris first, and then of course, at the point guard position, we wanted Amer all along."
By adding quality guards in Newsome and Amer, the Bolts finally added depth in their lineup.
Add Jimmy Alapag’s comeback from retirement to suit up for Meralco, Black believes his team has a good chance to finally bolt out of the middle of the pack in the league.
"Just having the size of Al-Hussaini and bringing in Faundo is a plus. People might not realize but Faundo averaged 10 points and six rebounds per game with Blackwater. He had shown that he could be successful in the PBA. We brought in Justin and we still have (Kelly) Nabong from last year," said Black.
"But we're not yet at the talent level of the big boys, San Miguel and Talk N Text, but we’re improving and that’s really the goal. One thing we didn't want to do in the off season is go backwards. We didn't want to go nine games and win .500 again."
But the Bolts silently acquired the big men they badly needed in the previous years. They got the much-needed shot in the arm when Rabeh Al-Hussaini returned to the country after settling personal matters in Kuwait.
The buildup continued by getting a few more big men, with free agents Brian Faundo from Blackwater and Justin Chua from Barako Bull signing up for the squad.
With the frontline pretty much set up, the Bolts decided to change route in the draft and took guards Chris Newsome with the fourth overall pick and Baser Amer with the seventh pick.
"Initially we wanted to get bigs, but when we started getting bigs from the free agency, the only thing we were thinking about is improving our shooting guard position and point guard position," head coach Norman Black told InterAksyon.com in an exclusive interview.
"Chris Newsome was on top of our list for the shooting guard. Scottie Thompson was No. 2. Had Rain or Shine picked Newsome, we would have taken Thompson, but we were able to get Chris first, and then of course, at the point guard position, we wanted Amer all along."
By adding quality guards in Newsome and Amer, the Bolts finally added depth in their lineup.
Add Jimmy Alapag’s comeback from retirement to suit up for Meralco, Black believes his team has a good chance to finally bolt out of the middle of the pack in the league.
"Just having the size of Al-Hussaini and bringing in Faundo is a plus. People might not realize but Faundo averaged 10 points and six rebounds per game with Blackwater. He had shown that he could be successful in the PBA. We brought in Justin and we still have (Kelly) Nabong from last year," said Black.
"But we're not yet at the talent level of the big boys, San Miguel and Talk N Text, but we’re improving and that’s really the goal. One thing we didn't want to do in the off season is go backwards. We didn't want to go nine games and win .500 again."
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