Bennie Boatwright & June Mar Fajardo Tandem- Shaping San Miguel's Dominance in PBA

Barangay Ginebra coach Tim Cone is reminiscing about the powerful frontcourt pairing of Bennie Boatwright and June Mar Fajardo with the San Miguel Beermen, drawing comparisons to a dominant era not long ago. According to Cone, the present duo is reminiscent of Fajardo’s memorable partnership with former San Miguel star Arwind Santos.

Cone expressed his concerns, citing the difficulties created by Boatwright’s partnership with the 6-foot-10 Fajardo, a scenario similar to when Arwind Santos was a key player for the Beermen. Cone went beyond comparing Boatwright to Santos, saying, “Bennie Boatwright is like Arwind Santos x 2.” Or x 5 or maybe x 10.”

Cone remarked on Santos’ contributions to the squad during their time together at San Miguel, when the two helped the organization win eight titles. He noted Santos’ ability to support Fajardo successfully and stated that Boatwright outperforms Santos in this area, saying, “So Bennie does that even better than Arwind ever did.”

Boatwright, who replaced Ivan Aska at San Miguel, has been dramatically influenced since his Christmas debut. The Beermen are unbeaten in four games with Boatwright, who has excellent averages of 40.3 points, 13.3 rebounds, and 4.0 assists. His outstanding performance carried over into the playoffs when he scored 41 points and grabbed ten rebounds in a critical quarterfinal victory against Rain or Shine.

Boatwright and Fajardo’s frontcourt tandem is a dangerous challenge to rival teams, as the duo has yet to lose a game together. Fajardo, who just recovered from a fractured left hand, has continued contributing, averaging 17.6 points, 11.2 rebounds, and 3.6 assists.

Looking ahead to the semifinals against the San Miguel Beermen, Cone recognizes the challenge the imposing Twin Towers provided. He acknowledges the dilemma all teams face in figuring out how to contend with Boatwright and Fajardo. He expresses determination to find a solution, stating, “It’s a dilemma all teams will have to figure it out, and we’re going to try and figure it out. “If we can’t, we won’t win the series.” The semifinals are a short best-of-five series.