After failing to see action in the 19th Asian Games, Jamie Malonzo couldn’t wait to see action when Barangay Ginebra San Miguel competes in the Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup starting this Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Malonzo said he is pumped up and ready to go after undergoing rehabilitation to treat the back injury that he sustained against South Sudan in the FIBA Basketball World Cup last August.
“I’m doing good right now,” said Malonzo, who missed a chance to be part of the Gilas Pilipinas squad that made history when it ended a 61-year title drought in the Asian Games last month.
“I spent some time back in the States rehabbing, so now I’m in a good place and ready to go.”
Malonzo said he had already put his horror injury behind and is now determined to help the Kings retain the title using his high-flying, devil-may-care brand of basketball.
“I’ll play the same way, if not better,” he added.
“Every conference, I wanted to get better.”
The Kings will open their title defense when they face Converge on 17 November, giving Malonzo and his teammates enough time to recover from a grueling international campaign and get familiar with each other, especially to the new players.
Topping the list of new faces in the Ginebra roster will be former Meralco import Tony Bishop and former Converge playmaker Maverick Ahanmisi.
Bishop was tapped as import to replace Justin Brownlee, who is flirting with a lengthy suspension after testing positive for a banned substance in the aftermath of the Asian Games while Ahanmisi will join the Kings as a free agent.
Malonzo admitted that Brownlee will be a major loss, but they have to move forward and keep their focus on their ultimate goal of winning the title.
“I think it’s going to be a huge adjustment for us without Justin. But losing JB is a pretty big loss,” said Malonzo, who is thrilled to play with a “great player” like Ahanmisi.
