TNT eyes rare Grand Slam

MANILA, Philippines – Talk N’ Text is looking forward to meeting their import for the upcoming PBA Commissioner’s Cup, which begins on Friday.

“Going into the Commissioner’s Cup, we’re filled with cautious optimism because we will just start practicing on the 13th [of February] with no idea of how good our import is,” Talk N’ Text coach Chot Reyes told PBA.ph.

The Texters, the Commissioner’s Cup defending champions, will be coming off a 3-week break following their Philippine Cup title victory over Powerade 2 weeks ago.

Their first game in the Commissioner’s Cup will be on February 17 against B-Meg Derby Ace.

The Texters hope their 6’11” import Omar Hassan Samhan will help them retain the Commissioner’s Cup.

“Getting a good shot at winning the (Commissioner’s) Cup depends on how good your import is, and we won’t know how good he (Samhan) is until we start practicing with him. And we’ll just start practicing on the 13th,” said Talk N’ Text power forward Harvey Carey.

A title retention in this coming conference will boost Talk N’ Text’s campaign to complete a rare grand slam.

Last season, the Texters came close to nabbing 3 straight PBA titles.

Their grand slam bid, however, was foiled by the Petron Blaze Boosters who edged the Texters in the season-ending Governors Cup.

“It was a heartbreaker for us losing the Grand Slam… That’s always a goal we’d like to accomplish,” said Carey.