Barako Bull faces Alaska, Meralco tests B-Meg as PBA’s import-laced conference begins

Games today:

Araneta Coliseum

5:15 p.m.- Barako Bull vs. Alaska

7:30 p.m.- Meralco vs. B-Meg

Four teams try to find out what their imports have to offer as the 37th PBA Fiesta Conference gets underway today at the Araneta Coliseum.

The Barako Bull Energy take on the Alaska Aces in the first game, while the Meralco Bolts battle the B-Meg Llamados in the main game.

The 10 competing teams will be parading imports of unlimited height. Every game will be crucial for the protagonists as they will be only playing nine games each in the elimination round. Only six squads will advance to the playoffs.

Barako Bull is considered as one of the teams to beat after it tapped 6-foot-9 DerMarr Johnson, who was picked in the first round (6th overall) by the Atlanta Hawks in the 2000 NBA Draft.

Alaska will have returning import Adam Parada, a seven-footer who played four years at the University of California, Irvine but was undrafted in the NBA in 2004.

Parada suited up for Red Bull in the 2008 PBA Fiesta Cup and led the squad to the semifinals, where they lost to eventual champion Barangy Ginebra.

The Llamados have brought in Denzel Bowles, a 6-foot-10 import from Madison University.

The Bolts acquired the services of Jelani McCoy, a 6-foot-10 power forward who played for the Seattle SuperSonics, Los Angeles Lakers, Toronto Raptors, Cleveland Cavaliers, Atlanta Hawks, and Denver Nuggets from 1998 to 2007.