MANILA, Philippines – From PBA champion coach to PBA All Stars tactician in only one season. That’s the path Jorge Gallent is pursuing, leading Team Mark in Sunday’s marquee All-Star Game, just 39 days after winning the Commissioner’s Cup with San Miguel Beer, which marked his PBA coaching breakthrough, on February 14.

“Having this blessing at the beginning of the year is very amazing for me. At the news conference on Thursday, Gallent expressed his optimism that the current trend would continue. In attendance were Bacolod Mayor Albee Benitez, PBA Commissioner Willie Marcial, PBA deputy commissioner Eric Castro, and skippers Mark Barroca and Japeth Aguilar.

“I’m coaching the All Star game after winning the championship, so I’m really happy about it,” I’m grateful to the fans for getting me to this place. On Sunday, we’ll want to be competitive and win the game,” he continued.

For the appreciative Gallent, who had struck gold at just his second conference as SMB’s top strategist, things moved swiftly. A seasoned helper, he was elevated to vice president of his employer, Leo Austria, at the commencement of Season 47 Governors’ Cup in January 2023.

The fans, who voted for both him and the multi-titled Tim Cone, cemented his All Stars debut. 

“Kind of envisioned, but not immediately—coaching in the PBA All Stars. I had anticipated it to arrive one or two years sooner, but it did. So very, incredibly thrilled “Gallent, who skipped some golf time to accept this All Star position, stated.

All while Paul Lee, the shootout king, confronts a tough field of opponents

The three-point shootout will now be the major attraction of the 2024 PBA All-Stars Skills Events, replacing the slam-dunk competition.

The issue is whether Paul Lee is willing to stand up for his throne and whether the opponents are motivated to depose the monarch.

The shootout between the big guys, Jason Perkins, Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser, James Laput, Sean Anthony, JM Calma, Mo Tautuaa, Isaac Go, Keith Zaldivar, Ralph Cu, Christian David, and Brandon Bates at Santi Santillan, is an exciting new addition to the PBA All-Star menu.

The PBA rookies, sophomores, and juniors will play in a Blitz Game on Saturday at the St. La Salle Gym in Bacolod, which will come before the skills competitions.

At the 2023 All-Star celebrations in Passi, Iloilo, Lee, the combo guard from Magnolia, was the main attraction and the star of the show. He won the long-range three-point shootout and went on to win the All-Star Game MVP award.

In the grand finale of the Bacolod PBA midseason, he is back to defend the title and hopes for more.

However, a strong field of opponents, led by hometown favorite and two-time shootout champion James Yap, will be present and ready to fight.

Along with Maverick Ahanmisi, the other players vying for glory and a spot in PBA All-Star history are Rob Herndon, Arvin Tolentino, Andrei Caracut, Marcio Lassiter, Javi Gomez de Liano, Calvin Oftana, and Chris Newsome.

Lassiter is the player to monitor in terms of regular game three-point shooting % because of his incredible 82-percent clip.

Herdon comes next with a 55 percent share, followed by Lee, Stockton, and De Liano with 50 percent each, and Tuffin with 38 percent. In the current PBA Philippine Cup, the remainder is shooting less than thirty percent.

Of course, though, a gunfight is something else entirely.

At the last meeting, Yap’s results were: Lassiter’s.451, Stockton’s.440, Oftana’s.416, Lee’s.391, Herndon’s.387, De Liano’s.375, Ahanmisi.361, Tolentino’s.352, Tuffin’s.342, and Newsome’s.325.