By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The Barangay Ginebra San Miguel just pulled off a bold move heading into the PBA Governor’s Cup playoffs after activating veteran power forward Joe Devance.
It was Ginebra who confirmed the news, stating that Devance will be coming out of retirement to boost the Gin Kings’ frontcourt woes when they take center stage in the quarterfinals of the import-laced conference today.
After starting center Isaac Go went down with an injury that will keep him out of the Governor’s Cup for a long period of time, the Gin Kings pressed the emergency button and will need reliable and experienced personnel underneath to fill his spot.
Devance, one of the most successful players to ever set foot in the PBA, already announced his retirement two years ago and is currently enjoying doing podcasts and live streams when he went away from the league.
However, Devance’s longevity is a testament to his achievements, having earned the trust of the San Miguel Corporation (SMC) to help Ginebra go further in their quest for another Governor’s Cup trophy.
This is a crucial quarterfinal matchup for the Gin Kings as they are set to face the rolling Meralco Bolts, one of their arch-rivals when the import-laced conference kicks off.
Meralco brought in a familiar reinforcement, tapping the services of Justin Brownlee’s old nemesis, Allen Durham.
During those grand finals battles, Devance was already on Ginebra’s side and was familiar with what Meralco runs.
From a full-fledged main member of head coach Tim Cone’s rotation, Devance sacrificed his role as a locker room leader during his final years, paving the way for the development of some Ginebra players like Stanley Pringle, Christian Standhardinger, and Scottie Thompson.
According to multiple sources, Devance took the place of shooting guard Paul Garcia, who was relegated to the unrestricted free-agent list.
The revamped Ginebra squad with Devance will be kicking off their quarterfinal campaign today, in the first game of the scheduled doubleheader.
