FORMER San Miguel Beer import Bennie Boatwright’s stint with the Beermen in the last PBA Commissioner’s Cup proved to be the turning point in his interest to be Gilas Pilipinas’ next naturalized player.
“It started with a couple of players, they were mentioning me,” Boatwright said. “After we played Ginebra, boss Al (Chua, SMC sports director) asked me if I was interested.
“I said, ‘for sure.’ Ever since then, the ball has been rolling. For sure, very easy decision. It was a no-brainer,” he added.
A replacement reinforcement for Ivan Aska, Boatwright powered SMB to the Promised Land last February, and recently took the first steps toward becoming a Filipino citizen upon his arrival, walking the same path that Justin Brownlee took.
The 6-foot-10, former USC Trojan is the godson of former PBA import Francois Wise.
Boatwright is excited to continue the legacy of Brownlee.
