THE RETURN OF ALPHA BANGURA

The Air21 Express will parade once again the prolific ex-St. John’s University stalwart Alpha Bangura as its import reinforcement in the season-ending PBA Governor’s Cup set to start tomorrow. Bangura is one of only two holdovers (the other is the sweet-shooting Champ Oguchi of the Meralco Bolts) from the import cast of the recently-concluded Commissioner’s Cup. The 6-4 Libyan National averaged 28.3 points per game and shot .375 from the three-point arc in six elimination games for the Express. Bangura led the Express to the semi-final round series against eventual champions Talk N Text Tropang Texters with a norm of 16.3 ppg in three outings. Actually, he made his way to the PBA upon the recommendation of Express Team Manager Allan Gregorio, who as an assistant coach for Smart Gilas Team Pilipinas scouted Bangura in action during the Dubai Invitationals. Earlier this season, Bangura suited up for the Anibal squad in the Lebanese league where he played ten games while submitting norms of 20.7 ppg and 6.4 rebounds per outing. One of the highlights in his pro career was when he defeated Los Angeles Clippers high-leaping sentinel Jamario Moon in the 2006 Continental Basketball Association (CBA) slam-dunk finals.