A seasoned journeyman will be manning the shaded lanes when Charles Tiu starts calling the shots for Phoenix in the Commissioner’s Cup of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA).
Tiu said they will parade 6-foot-10 James Dickey as an import as they try to make a deep run in the midseason conference that starts on 11 March.
The youthful mentor admitted that getting an import in the first quarter of the year is never easy so they are really fortunate to land the 29-year-old forward, who gained significant experience in various leagues around the world, including Indonesia, where he played with Ginebra’s resident import Justin Brownlee.
“It’s really not the best time of the year to get imports since the leagues in Japan, Korea and Taiwan are already in full swing, but we’re still lucky to get James,” said Tiu, who formally replaced Willy Wilson as Fuel Masters’ head coach last week.
“Though he is still relatively young, he already has experience, and hopefully, with his height and athleticism, he can help us this conference.”
Dickey seems a perfect fit for the Fuel Masters squad that is entering a new era under a 37-year-old mentor.
After going undrafted in the National Basketball Association in 2020, Dickey plied his trade in countries like Hungary, Germany, Israel, France and Ukraine. His most recent stop was in Indonesia in 2024, where he teamed up with Brownlee at Pelita Jaya.
Brownlee will be back as Ginebra’s import, setting the stage for his reunion with Dickey.
Prior to his release, Dickey was averaging 18.7 points, 11.7 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game, numbers that can help Phoenix gain stability after releasing mainstays like RJ Jazul, RR Garcia, Yousef Taha, J-Jay Alejandro, Sean Manganti and James Kwekuteye.