The New Guy: Troy Gillenwater to Prove His Worth as SMB's New Import

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With Charles Rhodes unavailable, the Beermen go with a new import in Gillenwater

The San Miguel Beermen have just won their 4th consecutive Philippine Cup championship. June Mar Fajardo just won his 6th Best Player of the Conference award on top of his Finals MVP plum. And yet, Coach Leo Austria is already looking forward to the mid-season Commissioner's Cup.

Why? The Beermen will welcome not one but two imports: one from the United States and one from Hong Kong. The one who is coming from Hong Kong is, of course, none other than Christian Standhardinger, the Beermen's prized rookie who is set to arrive upon completing his ABL stint.

The one who came from the United States may sound new to the fans of the Beermen, the defending champions in the Commissioner's Cup. His name is Troy Gillenwater.  

Who is Troy Gillenwater?

Troy Gillenwater entered the 2012 NBA Draft but was left undrafted. After completing his playing for New Mexico, the 29-year-old forward from Boston, Massachusetts has been bouncing from one international league to the other. Before being tapped by the Beermen, Gillenwater has been playing in the Korea Basketball League (KBL) where he was drafted as the number 2 pick by the Goyang Orions. And, he has already played in Russia, Greece, Japan, and Turkey prior to his stint in Korea so he is a well-traveled player. 

For his part, Gillenwater has one appeal to the fans of the reigning champions: trust him and the Beermen will be fine.

Conclusion

While there's no denying the fact that there has been a clamor for San Miguel to tap the services of Charles Rhodes who is unfortunately unavailable due to his stint in the KBL, who knows? Troy Gillenwater might be able to lead the Beermen to another championship. And who knows? With a Christian Standhardinger arriving in May, the young duo of Gillenwater and Standhardinger might be the lift that San Miguel needs especially when June Mar Fajardo is being heavily-guarded. Either way, the Beermen are the team to beat come the Commissioner's Cup.