The “Mighty Mouse” Jimmy Alapag isn’t the only prominent figure who will debut for Alab Pilipinas in the ASEAN Basketball League this season.
The controversial Ivan Johnson will also play for the club for the first time, making a comeback in the Philippine basketball scene after being banned for one season in the PBA last year.
Johnson, then playing for TNT, was slapped with a one-season suspension in the Commissioner’s Cup last year after trading barbs with PBA commissioner Chito Narvasa during a game.
Alapag hopes that Johnnson’s stint with Alab Pilipinas will provide him an opportunity to redeem himself from that infamous episode of his career.
“I think people in the Philippines will be able to see Ivan in a different light. I think the circumstances that happened the last time he was here wasn’t who he is as a player and as a person,” Alapag told InterAksyon.
“I’ve known him personally even before he played for Talk N Text. We played at the same university although he played six or seven years after I was done,” said Alapag who, like Johnson, is an alumnus of Cal State Bernardino in the US.
Alapag believes that the former NBA player will be a huge boost to Alab Pilipinas despite his reputation.
“I’m excited to have him back. He’s a hell of a player. He provides as toughness, he provides us experience. At the end of the day, he’s an NBA talent. I’m really looking forward seeing him make his debut alongside me in the ABL,” Alapag said.
Johnson will be among the key players who will comprise Alab Pilipinas alongside Gilas Pilipinas player Ray Parks and 6’5″ Fil-Am swingman Lawrence Domingo.
The team though has yet to finalize its roster and Alapag is hoping the management will be able to sign up the necessary players before starting the training camp in the first week of October.
“We’re still in the process now. Our intention is to practice by the first week of October. From now until then, we’re finalizing our roster. We should have a few more guys on board in the coming days. Right now, the main priority is finalizing our roster. The first week of October, we’ll hit the ground,” Alapag said.
“I’m excited. I’m expecting us to be versatile on the way we play. We will play fast, quick. I think as Filipino players, we will play to our strength. I think being versatile not just offensively, but defensively.
“Ivan will be a big part of that because of his ability to guard and we saw that when he won a championship with Talk N Text. He can guard different imports whether they’re wing or bigs. I’m looking forward to it.”
