HOTSHOTS TO SOAR WITH SOARES

MANILA, Philippines — Magnolia Chicken Timplados Hotshots import Terrell Brown-Soares is simply called T but while his nickname is just an initial, the word is the 6-10 center has a lot of walk in his talk. Soares, 27, arrived from California last Saturday and started practice after a day of rest. “He’s slowly being integrated into the team,” said Magnolia PBA governor Jason Webb. “Stats show that he’s a good shooter for his size. He has averaged around 40 percent on his 3s in his overseas campaigns while being able to be an effective post threat because of his size.”

Webb referred to Soares’ three-point percentages as an import – 43.8 in Mexico, 50 in the European North Basketball League, 43.4 in Romania and 41.5 in Poland. But his overall scoring totals weren’t earth-shaking. He hit at a 10.2 clip in Mexico, 11.1 in the Czech Republic, 13.4 in Romania and 9.5 in Poland. In four years at the University of Pittsburgh, Soares averaged 4.6 points in 118 games with 46 starts. Soares earned a fifth season as a collegian in 2021-22 in a pandemic concession but started in only 15 of 25 games, averaging 8.4 points, 7.1 rebounds, 2.5 blocks and 22.8 minutes. What’s impressive in Soares’ resume is his shot-blocking. He was second in swats in Mexico and first in the Czech Republic and Romania. 

Hotshots coach LA Tenorio said Soares is a legit 6-10. “He’s more of a four and five,” noted Tenorio. Webb affirmed Soares’ versatility. “We see him sliding into both the four and five, depending on who our other big will be on the floor,” said Webb.

Rookie Yukien Andrada is expected to play a big role in the coming Commissioner’s Cup which starts March 11. After finishing his eligibility with San Beda in the NCAA, Andrada reported late for the Philippine Cup and played two games for Magnolia, averaging 12.5 points and seven rebounds. “We see Yukien having reps at both the three and four, dependent on matchups,” said Webb. “We don’t necessarily see him as a backup to Zav (Lucero) since they might see some time together.” The Hotshots are hoping to rebound from failing to make it to the semifinals in the last conference where they were eliminated by TNT in one game with a twice-to-win disadvantage.

2026-02-13T16:31:31Z