Tigers get teeth with 6-9 banger

Tigers get teeth with 6-9 banger
By Nelson Beltran
Sunday, March 9, 2008

A 6-foot-9 bruiser who has won a number of championships in the Chinese pro league battling the likes of Yao Ming, Wang Zhi Zhi, Yi Jianliang and Batere Menk is one of the Coca-Cola Tigers’ two imports in the PBA Fiesta Cup opening late this month.

Jason Dixon is flying in Tuesday fresh from another tour of duty with the Guandong Southern Tigers – his team in the Chinese Basketball Association since 1998 or three years after ending his varsity stint with Liberty University.

Former Seton Hall Pirate Donald Copeland was supposed to team up with Dixon but the 5-foot-10 guard couldn’t get his release from his current engagement.

“What I like with the guy is the fact that he’s long been playing and winning championships for his team in China. He won’t last in the Chinese league if he’s a so-so player,” said Coca-Cola coach Binky Favis of his import recruit.

At 35, the Aurora, Colorado native also has had tours of duty in Turkey, Israel, Argentina, Sweden and Cyprus.

But it is in China where Dixon has become a permanent basketball fixture. Dixon has won three championships with the Guandong team.

Dixon averaged 13.1 points on .514 shooting plus 8.1 rebounds in 58 games with Liberty University in 1995. He was a transferee from Eastern Wyoming.

The Tigers, however, remain in search of another import as they weren’t able to fly in Copeland, an all-around guard putting in 16.1 points, 4.5 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 1.4 steals a game for Seton Hall in the 2005-06 campaign.

Coca-Cola and Air21 are allowed to field in two imports each in the coming tourney for placing ninth and 10th, respectively, in the Philippine Cup elimination round.

And with Nic Belasco firming up the team’s local lineup, Coca-Cola is tipped this early to be one of the teams figuring prominently in the finals race.

“It’s an opportunity we have to seize. Last conference, we’re lacking in big men. Definitely, our lineup improved on the entry of Nic (Belasco),” said Favis.

“We’ll have an edge playing with two imports. The question is how will everybody sacrifice because it’s given the two imports will play at least 40 minutes each,” Favis added.

The Tigers have been in training for three weeks now, one week spent under the tutelage of renowned US coach Kevin Barbosa – the same mentor who handled the Sta. Lucia Realtors’ training in Boston before the start of the Philippine Cup.


Source: http://philstar.com/index.php?Sports&p=49&type=2&sec=30&aid=20080308189