The Meralco Bolts flew in NBA D-League standout Jarrid Famous to give the team a standby import for the opening of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup on Friday.

The 6-foot-11 Famous, who averaged 13.9 points and 9.8 rebounds per game for the Fort Wayne Mad Ants this season, arrived in Manila on Tuesday. Meralco coach Ryan Gregorio decided to tap the 23-year-old after seeing him play last month in the D-League Showcase in Reno, Nevada.

Earlier, Meralco signed NBA veteran Jelani McCoy to reinforce the team in the Commissioner’s Cup, which imposes no height limit on imports.

“He went to the Indiana Pacers training camp, but was cut before the NBA season started,” Gregorio said of Famous. “We still have yet to decide whether we will use him as our import on Friday or we will stick with McCoy. Right now, he’s on standby as we have 24 hours to make a decision.”

McCoy, an NBA veteran, led the Bolts to two wins in pre-season games, but has been hampered by injury.

“Famous can complement our players in our transition game. He’s a big man who can sprint and finish the breaks,” added Gregorio.

Paul Artadi, who was acquired by Meralco during the break between tournaments, offered an early assessment of the team’s new import.

“He’s athletic and loves to run,” wrote Artadi on his Twitter account.

Source: Reynaldo Belen, interAKTV