A seasoned journeyman will be at the helm when the Zamboanga Valientes competes in the 34th Dubai International Basketball Championship starting Friday.
Adonis Thomas, a former 6-foot-6 forward who had seen action in various leagues around the world, including the National Basketball Association (NBA), will be suiting up for the Valientes in the prestigious invitational event.
He went undrafted in the 2013 NBA Draft but still saw action for the Orlando Magic and Philadelphia 76ers with stops in Italy, Turkey, Germany, France, Kazakhstan, Slovenia, Poland, Israel and Mexico.
His latest stint was with the Macau Bears in the East Asia Super League, where he averaged 18 points and 9.5 rebounds.
Aside from the 31-year-old Thomas, the Valientes will also be bringing in 7-foot-6 Sam Deguara, who once played for the San Miguel Alab Pilpinas in the Asean Basketball League, and 6-foot-11 former University of the Philippines star Malik Diouf to form an imposing frontline that is capable of striking fear into the hearts of their foes.
They will be joined by the local crew of Ken Holmqvist and Zamboanga mainstay Mike Tolomia with University of Santo Tomas stars Forthsky Padrigao and Nic Cabañero providing the scoring punches.
One-time San Miguel Beerman Kyt Jimenez is also in the roster as well as Job Alcantara, Rudy Lingganay, Denver Cadiz, Rashawn McCarthy, and Prince Caperal.