MANILA, Philippines — Veteran guard Jayson Castro is back for his 17th season with TNT, while big man Isaac Go will add size to Barangay Ginebra’s front court in time for the opening of the PBA Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup this Wednesday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
Castro is coming off a patellar tendon tear, an injury he sustained in the same conference in Season 49 while engaging Rain or Shine in their semifinal series.
Nicknamed “the Blur”, Castro spent the last several months recovering and rehabbing, including missing the entire Philippine Cup, where TNT placed second behind back-to-back champion San Miguel Beer.
At 39, Castro remains a valuable contributor for the Tropang 5G with his leadership on and off the court a quality he could easily bring to a team that’s now leaning on guards Rey Nambatac and Jordan Heading.
TNT placed veteran slotman Poy Erram in the injury/reserved list.
The Tropang 5G are tipped as the early favorites for the tournament championship after bringing in MBA veteran Bol Bol as their import.
On the other hand, the 6-7 Go brings added size and heft for Ginebra, which had to lean heavily on Japeth Aguilar and Troy Rosario in the recent Philippine Cup.
The former Ateneo big man has been out for a long time since suffering from a torn ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) on his knee last year.
Go’s presence will be big considering that the PBA Commissioner’s Cup will feature imports with no height restrictions.
Ginebra has stuck with resident import Justin Brownlee, as coach Tim Cone puts premium on familiarity with the three-time Best Import.
Ginebra’s recent acquisition Kemark Cariño is also in the final roster, though Cone said they are not in a hurry to utilize the 6-8 big man out of San Beda.
The Gin Kings got Cariño afyer sending Ben Adamos to the Terrafirma Dyip recently.
Meantime, not included in Terrafirma’s official roster for the coming conference are young guard Mark Nonoy and forward Louie Sangalang.
Nonoy, the Dyip’s 10th pick overall in the 2025 PBA draft, averaged 11.7 points, 2.9 rebounds and 5.6 assists for Terrafirma in the Philippine Cup.
On the other hand, the 6-4 Sangalang logged in 12 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.3 assists for the Dyip in the All-Filipino conference.
The good news is, the PBA’s top rookie pick this season, Geo Chiu will be making his anticipated debut in the pro league since concluding his MPBL obligations where he helped the Abra Weavers win the season championship.
Meralco got an added boost at the forward spot since acquiring veteran Javee Mocon in a recent trade that also involved Converge and NLEX.