SMB Sign Comboy and Alonino to Separate One-Year Deals

There’s no doubt that the San Miguel Beermen will be the favorites to win it all again in the upcoming Philippine Cup of the 45^th season of the PBA which will open on Match 1, 2020. After all, they still have the fab five which consists of Alex Cabagnot, Chris Ross, Marcio Lassiter, Arwind Santos, and the Kraken himself, June Mar Fajardo. While all five guys are in their final few years of their respective careers, we know that if all five guys are healthy, the Beermen are virtually inevitable especially when it comes to the all-Filipino conference where they will try to go for a six-peat. And oh, don’t forget about the fact that the Leo Austria-mentored side has Terrence Romeo who saw a revival in his career since being acquired by San Miguel back in 2018.

Heading into the 2020-2021 season of the PBA, this Beermen team will be a little different compared to the Beermen side that we saw last season. How different?

First off, they will head into battle without Christian Standhardinger whom they traded to the NorthPort Batang Pier last season. And in a snap, Christian Standhardinger won the Best Player of the Conference award during the Governors’ Cup last season. Then, Kelly Nabong was sent packing for NorthPort too after his involvement in the brawl during the team’s practice last December.

While San Miguel Beermen received Russell Escoto from the Nabong deal, they need to start preparing for the future as the core of this championship-winning squad is at the near end of their careers. Not to mention, injuries have been slowing things down especially for Fajardo. The good news is: the Beermen added more depth in their guard rotation as they signed two young guards to separate one-year deals.

San Miguel fans, meet your new guards, Wendell Comboy and Gelo Alolino.

Alolino, a product of the National University basketball program, isn’t really a new face in the PBA as he played 22 games last season for the Blackwater Elite but only averaged 2 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 0.9 assists per game while logging under 9 minutes per contest.

On the other hand, Wendell Comboy was originally drafted by the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters during the 2019 PBA Rookie Draft but the Elasto Painters left him unsigned. Comboy, a UAAP champion during his season with the FEU Tamaraws, has already established a reputation as a player who can deliver big numbers when needed.

While this is a welcome addition for a team like San Miguel, there’s no assurance that they can get minutes as the Beermen are loaded with high-scoring guards. Aside from the trio of Cabagnot, Ross, and Romeo, the reigning 5-time All-Filipino champs still have Von Pessumal and Paul Zamar. Fortunately, it’s a long season and both Comboy and Alolino will get their minutes once Coach Leo Austria figures how they can fit into the SMB puzzle.

Photo is from CNN Philippines