PBA: With Navarro acquisition, Magnolia future-proofs roster

William Navarro (left) will crew up with Zavier Lucero at Magnolia. —AUGUST DELA CRUZ

Magnolia trainer Chito Victolero on Tuesday described dealing veteran Calvin Abueva to NorthPort as “one of the toughest decisions we’ve had to make.”

“He’s been an integral part of our team for the last four years—not just through his performance on the court, but also with his energy and dedication. We all know that Calvin’s energy is like no other,” Victolero mentioned in a commentary that got here after the Hotshots were given emerging celebrity William Navarro in go back.

“That said, we also have to think about the future of the team,” added Victolero after the crew additionally shipped Jerrick Balanza and a second-round draft within the 51st season not to handiest gain Navarro, but additionally make Magnolia’s name probabilities higher within the PBA Philippine Cup with a more youthful core.

Known for his versatility on the subject of scoring from inside and outside, plus a succesful defender and rebounder, the 28-year-old Navarro is observed as any individual who can bolster a Magnolia squad recently main the all-Filipino event at 7-1 file and nonetheless the one person who has already secured a quarterfinals berth.

Navarro’s arrival comes at a time when the Hotshots have already put a stability on having longtime Hotshots Mark Barroca, Paul Lee and Ian Sangalang play necessary mins whilst giving breaks to the likes of Zavier Lucero and backcourt rookie combo of Jerom Lastimosa and Peter Alfaro.

Lucero has emerged as arguably Magnolia’s easiest participant. He is ready for a reprisal of a short-lived team-up with Navarro after enjoying a couple of video games for NorthPort past due ultimate season sooner than being traded within the offseason in a deal for longtime Magnolia guard Jio Jalalon.

“Bringing in a young, up-and-coming talent like Navarro is a step we believe we need to pull off to strengthen our team and keep us competitive moving forward,” mentioned Victolero.

Numbers additionally sponsored Navarro’s doable significance to Magnolia. Amid NorthPort’s 1-6 file, he’s publish 20.6 issues and 10.6 rebounds, each throughout the best 5 of each classes. His play for the Batang Pier, together with the Cinderella semifinal run within the Commissioner’s Cup, used to be one thing the Hotshots couldn’t go. INQ