Magnolia, Phoenix seek fresh start in Commissioner’s Cup; Blackwater, NLEX clash in early test

Two teams looking to rewrite their recent fortunes collide when the Magnolia Hotshots and the Phoenix Fuel Masters open their campaigns in the PBA Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup Friday night at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

Magnolia enters the 7:30 p.m. main game eager to bounce back after falling short of the semifinals in the Philippine Cup. The Hotshots finished sixth in the eliminations before being eliminated by the TNT Tropang 5G, 118-109, in the quarterfinals—marking a disappointing end to their first conference under head coach LA Tenorio.

Meanwhile, Phoenix hopes to quickly move past a difficult All-Filipino campaign where the Fuel Masters finished 10th with a 3-8 record.

Both squads will lean heavily on their imports in the early going. Magnolia is banking on the inside presence of Terrell Brown-Soares, a 6-foot-10 big man known for his rim protection and rebounding, along with a perimeter touch that has impressed in stints across Europe.

The Fuel Masters counter with their own interior anchor in James Dickey, another 6-foot-10 veteran who has built a strong international résumé with stops in Germany, Israel, and Indonesia after a decorated college career at UNC Greensboro. Dickey left the Spartans as the school’s all-time leader in rebounds with 1,060 while ranking second in blocks with 222.

Phoenix is also ushering in a new era with Charles Tiu making his debut as a PBA head coach. Tiu, who previously won championships in the NCAA and the Jones Cup, will look to guide a roster featuring familiar names such as Jason Perkins, Kai Ballungay, Tyler Tio, Ken Tuffin, Ricci Rivero, and Evan Nelle.

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#PBA50CommsCup ELIMS FRIDAY – March 13 schedule at Ninoy Aquino Stadium brought to us by Pocari Sweat (Philippines)

5:15 PM
BLACKWATER Bossing vs. NLEX Road Warriors

7:30 PM
MAGNOLIA Chicken Timplados Hotshots vs. PHOENIX Super LPG Fuelmasters#PBA50LID pic.twitter.com/dCMyyGs9sX

— PBA (@pbaconnect) March 11, 2026

Also joining the team is rookie Will Gozum, the eighth overall pick in the Season 50 draft and a former cornerstone player under Tiu during their championship run with St. Benilde.

Earlier in the evening, the Blackwater Bossing and the NLEX Road Warriors square off in the 5:15 p.m. curtain raiser.

Blackwater will lean on high-scoring guard Sedrick Barefield, who averaged 19.2 points per game in the previous conference to finish among the league’s top scorers.

Across the floor, NLEX will turn to its floor general Robert Bolick, who led the league in assists last conference while also serving as the Road Warriors’ offensive engine. Bolick has repeatedly shown his ability to take over games, including a 20-point outing that powered NLEX to a win over Blackwater in a previous meeting.

Supporting Bolick are key contributors such as Kevin Alas and JB Bahio, whose balanced production has helped NLEX maintain a competitive edge in recent matchups against the Bossing.

With both games marking the start of new campaigns, the opening night matchups offer four teams a chance to quickly set the tone for what promises to be a tightly contested Commissioner’s Cup.

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