Rondae-Justin tandem thrills Chot

The looming partnership of Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Justin Brownlee for Meralco in the coming season of the East Asia Super League (EASL) had shaken Philippine basketball to its core.

And nobody is more excited than Tropang 5G mentor Chot Reyes.

In a short message to DAILY TRIBUNE, Reyes gave his stamp of approval over Meralco’s plan of putting Hollis-Jefferson and Brownlee on its squad that will represent the country in the EASL starting 8 October.

Reyes knows Hollis-Jefferson and Brownlee like the back of his hand.

The six-time Philippine Basketball Coach of the Year was responsible for bringing Hollis-Jefferson to the PBA in 2023. Together, they won three titles for the Tropang 5G, including a pair of crowns in the previous season that nearly gave them a rare grand slam.

On the same note, Reyes is familiar with Brownlee as he coached him when Gilas Pilipinas won the gold medal in the 32nd Southeast Asian Games. They were also together with the Filipinos faced Lebanon and Jordan in the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup Asian Qualifiers.

The decorated tactician said having Hollis-Jefferson and Brownlee — two of the most dominant imports of this generation — will be a game-changer for the Bolts.

“That will be a game-changing duo,” Reyes said on Tuesday morning.

Based on the Bolts’ plan, Brownlee will be tapped as a naturalized player while Hollis-Jefferson will join a tall import in serving as reinforcement in the prestigious tourney that pits the best club teams from Japan, Hong Kong, South Korea, Macau, Mongolia and Chinese Taipei.

Sideliners claim that although Brownlee is already a cinch to make it after getting green light from the San Miguel Corporation, the Bolts are still working on Hollis-Jefferson, who signed an exclusive one-year deal with the Tropang 5G.

In a previous statement, Meralco coach Luigi Trillo expressed his excitement over the possibility but stressed that nothing is cast in stone at the moment.

“Who wouldn’t want to have those two?” said Trillo, whose side will open its EASL campaign against Japanese powerhouse Ryukyu Golden Kings on 22 October.

PBA teams have struggled in the previous editions of the EASL. The Bolts, in fact, had won only once in the 2023-2024 season in which they defeated the Golden Kings in Macau.

Last season, Meralco fell one win shy of becoming the first PBA team to enter the semifinals of the EASL after going 2-4 in the group stage.

The Bolts came up short against the New Taipei Kings in the final game of the season following a heartbreaking double-overtime loss in February, 96-106.