...as the Patriots take on the Singapore Slingers for the second semifinal berth in the AirAsia ASEAN Basketball League Season 2 at the Yñares Sports Arena in Pasig City.
The 6-foot-5 Freeman was tapped anew to replace naturalized Jordanian star Rasheim Wright in a bid to boost the title-retention campaign of the Patriots.
The Patriots had dropped three straight games before ending the slump last week with a come-from-behind 73-71 win over the Kuala Lumpur Dragons.
Known for his scoring ability, Freeman hopes to bring the Filipinos back into fighting form when they collide with the Slingers at 4 p.m. that will be shown live over ESPN.
Last season, Freeman averaged 21.7 points and 15.0 rebounds in seven games as the Patriots won the inaugural ABL crown.
Expectations maybe high, but Freeman, who left the Townsville Crocodiles of the National Basketball League in Australia to rejoin the squad co-owned by Mikee Romero and Tony Boy Cojuangco, downplayed his billing.
“The biggest challenge for us is to go our there and play basketball and just have fun. To win the championship, we have to do what we got to do now,” said Freeman, who will team up with another ex-PBA reinforcement in 6-foot-9 Steve Thomas.
The Patriots are toting a 7-4 slate, trailing the Chang Thailand Slammers for the lead in the six-nation cage league.
Patriots coach Louie Alas expressed excitement over Freeman’s return, but he believes it will take a team effort to arrest their recent slump.
“If not for the last five minutes of relentless defense from our point guards, we could have lost four straight,” Alas said.
Game Saturday (Yñares Sports Arena, Pasig City)
4 p.m. — PHL Patriots vs Singapore Slingers
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