After acquiring a pair of veterans, Terrafirma will be ready to rumble when it sees action in the new season of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA).
Dyip coach Johnedel Cardel yesterday said the inclusion of Stanley Pringle and Christian Standhardinger is a major boost to their bid in the Governors’ Cup that will start on 18 August.
Cardel said Pringle and Standhardinger are both seasoned campaigners who could help infuse veteran stability and winning experience to their young team.
Pringle and Standhardinger landed on Terrafirma following a trade that sent Rookie of the Year frontrunner Stephen Holt and sweet-shooting big man Isaac Go to Barangay Ginebra.
The Dyip also included their third overall pick in the transaction, which the Kings used to draft RJ Abarrientos in the recent Rookie Draft.
“With Stan and Christian around, I can say that we’re finally complete,” Cardel said.
“Stan and Christian are the veteran players whom we really need. They know how to win and they are capable of leading us to our first title.”
Terrafirma is coming off a remarkable campaign in the recent Philippine Cup after posting big wins en route to advancing to the playoffs.
The Dyip finished the eliminations with five wins in 11 matches and pushed San Miguel Beer to the limit before making a quarterfinal exit, a major achievement for a franchise that has been in the cellar since joining the league as an expansion team in 2014. The Dyip had several chances to become competitive but they traded away their top overall picks like CJ Perez, Joshua Munzon and, yes, Standhardinger.
Cardel said they want to replicate their success in the previous conference with another strong run in the coming import-flavored conference.
“We have already found the right mix of veterans and young players. We also have an import who is really impressive,” said Cardel, who will be banking on young guns Juami Tiongson, Brent Paraiso, Gelo Alolino, Aldrech Ramos and the returning Kevin Ferrer together with Pringle and Standhardinger.
Their import is Brandon Edwards, a 6-foot-6 journeyman who had already competed in countries like Spain, Greece, Finland, Israel, Macau and France before landing in the Philippines.
“I am confident in our chances in the coming season,” he added.