[ad_1]
Before choosing the next step in his professional career, Greg Slaughter wants to first reflect with Barangay Gin.
The 32-year-old center said Saturday that he is looking forward to a meeting with Gin Kings management first to explore his options, one that includes a possible return to the same franchise that selected him for the PBA in 2013.
“At the moment, I have been in contact with coach Tim (Cone). We are going to have a meeting, but now I’m just waiting for Geneva to contact me with a firm date. But I’m ready to go,” Slaughter said Saturday at the Power and play radio show with former commissioner Noli Eala.
Slaughter recently returned to the country eight months after announcing that he would take a step back from basketball last February. Prior to his return, he had been training in Florida and signed with top European agency BeoBasket, whose clients include Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic and Dallas Mavericks center Boban Marjanovic, among others.
Several international teams have also expressed interest in Slaughter, but the big man insists on doing business with Geneva first before considering continuing his playing days outside the country.
“Yes. I am open to all possibilities,” he said. “There has also been interest from other teams abroad. But right now, regarding Geneva and all, all our experiences that we’ve been through, I would definitely love to talk to them before making any final decisions. right now, I’m looking forward to meeting them. “
“I love the Philippines. [The] The Philippines has always been a home for me. I definitely want to see what I can do here before I make the decision to go abroad, “added Slaughter.
After spending most of the coronavirus pandemic training in Daytona Beach, Slaughter believes his “level of play has risen.”
“I feel like I’m at a level that I’ve never been before,” Slaughter described. “We tackled all the issues and really rebuilt my body composition, worked a lot with strength and conditioning, added a lot of skills and really trained on attributes. These attributes allowed me to react on the court, not just go to a predetermined movement. we work on, but really only have these attributes that allow you to apply what you need to do in the right situation. “
Many of his improvements have had to do with working with Gary Boyson, a veteran NBA scout who has had 16 years of league experience with the Los Angeles Lakers and the New York Knicks.
“He’s seen the best,” Slaughter said. “Think about it: a scout is looking at each player, looking at what they lack, what they excel at, what needs to be there for them to go to the next level. This guy had the eye. He knows everything that I do. I needed to work on. “
When asked what led him to work on himself outside of the PBA and with Boyson in the United States, Slaughter said he thought it was a good time “to rediscover myself, to rediscover what kind of player I was, to work in the things I needed to do. Now that I’ve had all this great training, I’m recharged and ready to go, mentally and physically refreshed. “
BUT It may not be Geneva or any other international baseball club who reap the benefits of Slaughter’s progress first. With the big man ineligible for the 2020 season reboot in Clark and his desire to speak to his mother team first, the seven-foot center’s first opportunity to play competitive basketball could come first with Gilas Pilipinas.
Slaughter, who qualifies as a local player under FIBA rules, could possibly be one of Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) options for the 2021 FIBA Asian Cup qualifiers in November, when the national team will miss their PBA regulars against South Korea Thailand
For his part, Slaughter said he is willing to dress up for Gilas and even shared that he has been in contact with program director Tab Baldwin during his training abroad.
“I have been in contact with Coach Tab while I was in Florida. I have been updating him with my progress. I think he is very happy with what he sees,” he said.
However, SBP is still waiting for Slaughter to first conclude its talks with Geneva.
“At the moment, I think with the SBP, they are just waiting to see my talks with Geneva before engaging in talks with me. Hopefully I can have my talks with Geneva soon to have some clarity on whether ‘I will be able to join Gilas or not. But right now, as far as the game goes, I’m absolutely ready to go, “he said.
No matter what the immediate future holds, the four-time PBA champion says he is still “hungry for more.”
“It’s been fun getting to where I am now, but I honestly feel like I have a lot more to go. I’m really looking forward to the future and everything that comes with it,” Slaughter said. “I think it was a blessing in disguise to have been able to have this free time to rediscover and reevaluate all that I am as a player, and I think I came out of it much better. It has been fun up to this point, but I’m still very hungry for more.
“Now that I’m on this path, I still think I can improve. With all the things that I have learned, I will continue to work towards that. Not only am I a better player physically, but I have Learned many things over the years. All of this. Experience has taught me a lot, and I think it has matured me a lot. Physically and mentally, I think I have improved and I am very excited to go out and play games. “
