Gab Banal made sure to reintroduce himself in his return to the PBA.
Banal was part of Alaska's second unit that sparked the massive pull away in the third quarter en route to a 103-77 decimation of Blackwater to open its 2021 Philippine Cup campaign on Friday, July 16, at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City.
The 6-foot-3 forward poured five points as he joined forces with Mike DiGregorio, Abu Tratter and Yousef Taha in igniting the Aces' blistering 26-9 rally that lifted them to a 65-49 lead coming off a 39-39 deadlock at halftime.
Banal put up eight points on an efficient 3-of-6 field goal shooting while also tallying six rebounds, three assists, a block and a plus/minus rating of 29--just behind DiGregorio's 33--in just 22 minutes of action.
Alaska head coach Jeff Cariaso heaped praises on their 30-year-old prized offseason recruit.
"When I think of Gab, I think of just a solid player. Not only is he intelligent but he knows his strengths and weaknesses," said Cariaso.
Banal, son of former PBA player and tactician Joel, was drafted by San Miguel in the second round in 2014. He played scant minutes for Globalport in his first two seasons before moving to Go For Gold in the D-League.
Banal thrived outside the PBA, winning the 2018 D-League Foundation Cup Finals MVP award after towing the Scratchers to the title and getting named Season MVP in the MPBL in 2019 and a part of the All Second Team the next season playing for the Bacoor City Strikers. He also played in the 3x3 circuit.
"Being a vet, even if in the past few years he hasn't been in the PBA, he just brings us a different look because he's just smart out there. He doesn't force anything. He picks his spots and when to be aggressive. He's not that big but he can defend some of the smaller bigs. We like that about him," said Cariaso of Banal.
"But more importantly, he's a team player. He grew up in a basketball family so he definitely knows what it takes to be successful. We're happy we were able to pick him up and you could tell today why."