Boatwright back with guns firing as San Miguel trips NLEX
ANTIPOLO—Bennie Boatwright described his return to the PBA and San Miguel Beer on Sunday as something more than being back in familiar surroundings.
“It’s good to be back home,” Boatwright said after going off for 41 points in the Beermen’s hard-fought 98-94 win over the NLEx Road Warriors at Ynares Center here.
Boatwright’s presence enabled San Miguel to spring some life back into its seesaw PBA Commissioner’s Cup campaign after helping the Beermen improve to 4-4 as a two-game slide was snapped. The last of those losses was against Magnolia when Justin Patton failed to show up.
Save for some early jitters that saw more rim-rattlers than buckets, Boatwright’s presence seemed to be an easy transition as San Miguel is banking on him to finally solve the import woes that have hounded them since last season’s import-laden conferences.
And the expectation now, especially after an impressive comeback, is for the possibility of San Miguel going on a run similar to what Boatwright spearheaded in his PBA debut in the 2023-24 Commissioner’s Cup.
‘The goal’
It was in that conference that Boatwright won his first 10 games with the Beermen as a replacement for Ivan Aska, a period that began late in the eliminations all the way to the midway point of the championship series with Magnolia.
San Miguel would go on to win the title, making Boatwright a hero among its loyal and casual supporters.
Could a redux be possible now? Boatwright would rather temper things.
“I mean, that’s the goal,” he said. “Personally, I want to take it one day at a time. Will be back in practice and ready for the next game. But this first win, it feels good for the team and for myself.”
Apart from his second San Miguel gig, the talk of Boatwright’s ongoing naturalization process is that it will pave the way for his inclusion in the Gilas Pilipinas program if things run smoothly.
Boatwright had attended one Senate hearing last November and the expectation is that the process could speed up now that he is in town.
“Just being patient,” he said after the postgame press conference when asked of the naturalization process. “I always keep that (Gilas) in mind every day when I’m training and preparing. It’s really a good opportunity and really grateful for it.”
NLEx, meanwhile, fell to 6-2 despite 35 points from Boatwright’s counterpart Cady Lalanne, but maintained its hold on solo second.
