NEGRENSE cage fans will be surprised but albeit excited to find out that a Negrense cager, former University of Negros Occidental-Recoletos Ram Mark Yee, is one of the young rookie replacements national team coach Yeng Guiao has picked to see action for the Powerade Team Pilipinas quintet plays a series of tuneups against the visiting American Athletes in Action Christian basketball club.

This as the national team will be undermanned due to the absence of mainly four starters in Jayjay Helterbrand and Cyrus Baguio of Barangay Ginebra and Dondon Hontiveros and Mick Pennisi of San Miguel Beer, who began their best-of-seven import-reinforced conference title clash the other night at the Araneta Coliseum.

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Yee, who last played here during last year’s Negros Basketball Association (NBA) Gov. Isidro P. Zayco Open Invitational Cup series at the Po Hang Gym of Bacolod Tay Tung High School with eventual champion Ticel Corporation of Iloilo, has joined Guiao’s Burger King in the PBA, and will be playing alongside Burger King teammates Wynne Arboleda and Beau Belga.

The Powerade Team Pilipinas squad will also miss the services of Jarred Dillinger and Ranidel de Ocampo, who were scheduled to return from a training camp in the US late Thursday; skipper Asi Taulava, who was still attending to some important personal business in the US; Kelly Williams, who is out with a strange blood disorder diagnosed following his stint here with the PBA All Stars earlier this year; and Ryan Reyes, who is nursing a hamstring injury.

Yee, who also briefly saw action for San Sebastian College Cavite, was a member of the Misamis Oriental Meteors mentored by former Negros Slashers head coach Jun Noel during last year’s Liga Pilipinas inaugural series.

His former personal coach here was ex-Bacolod Tay Tung High School varsity mentor Dominic Chua.