By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The Barangay Ginebra San Miguel is looking to bounce back after a rough 2021 PBA Philippine Cup where they got eliminated in just the first round of the playoffs.
Following the trade shocker that sent San Miguel Beermen’s Arwind Santos to NorthPort for Vic Manuel, Ginebra shipped forward Art Dela Cruz for energy guy Sidney Onwubere.
Onwubere, one of the key players in the rotation of head coach Pido Jarencio at NorthPort, just found a new home and is looking to bring his intensity to the veteran-studded roster of coach Tim Cone.
It was an impressive stint for Onwubere under NorthPort as he averaged 9.6 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game and was also a starter for the team in 12 games.
Onwubere was also one of Northport’s main energy guys, forming one of the most versatile forward duos together with Sean Anthony, who also got traded as part of the Manuel package.
Meanwhile, Dela Cruz, wasn’t able to suit up for Ginebra during the recently concluded Philippine Cup as he was still nursing an injury.
During his last playing season in the PBA with Ginebra, the leftie swingman averaged 2.2 points and 2.0 rebounds.