MANILA – The San Miguel Beermen are working on bringing back former import Bennie Boatwright, following the sudden absence of Justin Patton on Sunday.
Due to Patton's no-show, San Miguel was forced to go all-Filipino against the Magnolia Hotshots, which resulted in a 120-101 loss in their PBA Season 50 Commissioner's Cup showdown.
Head coach Leo Austria said they have decided to replace Patton with Boatwright after what he called unprofessional behavior of the former.
READ: Magnolia too much for Patton-less San Miguel
"The management, boss Robert [Non], boss Gee [Abanilla] nag-usap kami and then, of course, [we need] a replacement. Yeah, I think in the next few days, we'll find out," Austria told reporters after the game.
"We're waiting for [Bennie] Boatwright. I think, maybe in the next game andiyan na siya," he added.
Austria said they have been in talks with Boatwright before the conference, but he could not commit due to obligations with Korean ball club Daegu Kogas Pegasus.
"Benny, we keep on communicating with him. Unfortunately, before itong mga import namin, may commitment siya sa Korea. From Taiwan to Korea, at the time, ongoing pa yung All-Filipino nun eh," he said.
The San Miguel coach confirmed Patton missed practice for the last three days, following their 116-112 loss to the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters last Wednesday.
"Last night nga I was able to talk to the driver and then he asked him, ano are you ready to play? He was in good spirits last night. That's why I'm excited for him to come and play. But one hour before the game I heard he cannot play. That's very unprofessional of him," Austria shared.
"There's no injuries eh. And I asked him, are you going to practice? [He said] I just want to rest dahil he's tired. I said, okay, see you tomorrow. It's very important practice for us to prepare because the situation right now is not cooperating with our standing. So I'm expecting na he will show up today. But wala eh," he added.
'UNPROFESSIONAL'
Erstwhile San Miguel import Justin Patton. PBA Media
Austria expressed frustration over Patton's actions since he has been doing well in their previous games.
"Excited kami sa kanya. Nung first day, nakita namin malaki, may moves. Tapos may shooting, may tira.... And makikita mo yung reviews sa kaniya, especially from the experts. You'll see magaganda yung sinasabi kung makukuha namin siya dahil fitted sa system namin and he could play with June Mar," he explained.
Austria said Patton needs to face the possible actions that the San Miguel team will take for his sudden no-show.
"I don't know anong magiging consequences niyan. Dahil it's unprofessional eh, ganyan eh. And then, we're relying on his presence here because we know that we can win because he proved it in his first two games. He helped a lot," he said.
"Kami naman, tao lang tayo. Pwede naman kami magpatawad. Pero he has to face the consequences na dapat mangyari sa kanya," Austria added.
Boatwright led the Beermen to the PBA 48 Commissioner's Cup back in 2024, after being tapped to replace import Ivan Aska.
Since then, Boatwright was also tapped for naturalization to suit up for Gilas Pilipinas.
READ: SBP staying patient on Boatwright naturalization
With Boatwright and his team officially out of the Korean Basketball League playoffs, the 29-year-old candidate for naturalization could suit up for the Beermen.
His possible return comes at a crucial time, when San Miguel needs a boost in the import-laden conference.
The Beermen hope to solve their import problem before their upcoming game against the NLEX Road Warriors next Sunday at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.