Barangay Ginebra San Miguel added more firepower to its already stacked lineup when it acquired sharpshooter Jeff Chan from Phoenix in exchange for the crowd favorite’s first-round pick in the 2018 Rookie Draft.
In an effort of pulling a late rally in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Commissioner’s Cup, the Gin Kings, who sit at ninth place with three wins against five losses, bagged the Bacolod City sniper from the Fuel Masters in the critical stretch of the conference.
In the Commissioner’s Cup, the 6-foot-2 Chan averaged 11.5 points on a 38-percent shooting. He also tallied 4.4 rebounds and 4.4 assists. His numbers though were not enough to give Phoenix a lift as the team languishes at 10th spot with a 3-6 record.
The 34-year-old guard will join reliable young guns Kevin Ferrer and Scottie Thomspon and veteran point guards LA Tenorio and Sol Mercado.
Picked 17th overall by Red Bull Barako in 2008, Chan made himself a threat from beyond the arc. He moved to Rain or Shine where he won two championships under Coach Yeng Guiao.
During his stay with the Elasto Painters, the former Far Eastern University player collected numerous individual awards, including the 2012 Governor’s Cup Finals Most Valuable Player. He is also a six-time All-Star and recently took the MVP plum in the Visayas Leg last month.
Chan already practiced with Barangay Ginebra last Monday. He reunited with former Gilas Pilipinas teammates Tenorio and Japeth Aguilar. The trio was part of the silver-medal winning team in the 2013 Fiba Asia Championships.
He will make his debut on Wednesday against Columbian Dyip (4-5) at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.