MANILA – Renaldo Balkman will once again don the Philippine colors as he serves as one of the reinforcements of the Mighty Sports-Philippines in the 2020 Dubai International Basketball Championship that will start tonight.
Mighty Sports head coach Charles Tiu said that he sees Balkman as the missing piece in their title aspirations in the tournament that will be held at the Shabab Al Ahli Club.
“Balkman is a great player. He’s a winner and he’s a leader. He’s a true pro who takes care of his body so well. No attitude whatsoever,” said Tiu about signing the 6-foot-8 Puerto Rican to his squad. “He’s a trooper.”
The Puerto-Rican star also played for the Mighty Sports team in last year’s William Jones Cup in Taiwan where he was named as the tournament MVP after averaging 19.0 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.9 blocks, and 1.1 steals in seven games.
Another late addition for the Mighty Sports team was former Ateneo Blue Eagles and now Columbian Dyip big man George Isaac Go, who replaced Kai Sotto.
Aside from Balkman and Go, naturalized Gilas player Andray Blatche, Javi and Juan Gomez de Liaño, Dave Ildefonso, Jamie Malonzo, Mikey Williams, Thirdy Ravena, and Beau Belga will also suit up for the team.
Might Sports-Philippines will aim to draw first blood in their campaign opener against UAE’s national team tonight, followed by a match against Al Ittihad on Jan. 24, ES Rades on Jan. 27 and Beirut Sports Club on Jan. 28./PN
