San Miguel Beer import Bennie Boatwright is looking to get reunited with his college teammate Nick Rakocevic in the Philippine Basketball Association.
Boatwright said he and Rakocevic were considered as the one-two punch for the University of Southern California in the Division I of the US National Collegiate Athletic Association so sharing the floor with him in the PBA will truly be an honor.
The 27-year-old Boatwright is making an impact for the Beermen since arriving in the country to replace Ivan Aska as reinforcement.
He hit the ground running, dropping 51 points in his second game, leading the Beermen to a 132-110 win over Terrafirma last Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Prior to his arrival, his college teammate — Rakocevic — was the toast of the league as he powered Magnolia in the Commissioner’s Cup last year. The Hotshots, however, were beaten by Barangay Ginebra in the best-of-five semifinals.
After his stint in the PBA, Rakocevic flew to China to reinforce the Zhejiang Golden Bulls and the Jilin Northeast Tigers in the Chinese Basketball Association.
Magnolia considered to bring Rakocevic to another tour of duty in the ongoing season. But the Hotshots had a change of heart with the emergence of big men James Laput and Ian Sangalang, prompting them to tap an athletic import in Tyler Bey, instead.
“I love playing with Nick. We play hi-low (offense), two-man game. Nick is my guy and we complement each other well,” Boatwright told Daily Tribune.
Boatwright added that Rakocevic encouraged him to give the PBA a try after enjoying the hospitality and friendliness of the Filipinos.
“When I signed, he was the first one I’ve talked to,” Boatwright said.
“He told me, I would love it, I would enjoy it, so I signed the contract right away. He was definitely an influence.”
Boatwright is now going to play in the playoffs and is determined to carry the Beermen — the Philippine Cup champions — back to the throne.
He said he looks forward to sharing the court with Rakocevic in the future.
“I wish we can play together here, but there’s only one import per team,” Boatwright said.
“I love playing with Nick. Nick definitely wants to come back here, so I’m looking forward to playing against him.”
