After 31 years, coach Tim Cone has decided to pick another Abarrientos for his team.
More than three decades ago, Cone took a gamble by selecting Johnny Abarrientos for Alaska in the 1993 PBA Draft.
He took a similar gamble by using Barangay Ginebra’s third pick to select Johnny’s nephew, RJ Abarrientos.
“With Alaska, we had the third pick, and Jun Limpot was No. 1, Vic Pablo was No. 2, and we were hoping for Vic Pablo,” said Cone in an ABS-CBN report about the 1993 Draft.
“We were hoping and hoping, and we were like, ‘Oh, man. We gotta take Johnny Abarrientos.’ But when we took him, we never looked back.”
As a result, Cone racked up multiple titles, including a Grand Slam together with “Johnny A.”
“Now, third pick for RJ, third pick for Johnny, both Abarrientos, so it’s kinda poetic,” he said.
Although Cone described RJ as a different type of player compared to Johnny, he said there are important similarities, too.
“They’re different types of players. I think RJ is more of a lights-out scorer, and he also has versatility. He can score, he’s a tremendous passer, and he can create,” he said.
“(But) one thing with our old Alaska team, Johnny was a one-man press breaker. And we think of RJ the same way. It will enhance our transition game and is a great force.”
The post Why pick RJ Abarrientos for Ginebra? Cone says he could be the next ‘Johnny A’ first appeared on Fastbreak.
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