THIS early, Jordan Heading is looking forward to Converge contending for the championship in the season-ending PBA Philippine Cup.
The Fil-Aussie rookie said the All-Filipino conference will mark the first time the FiberXers will play together as a whole unit, a luxury they didn't have during the Commissioner’s Cup following the late arrival of top overall pick Justine Baltazar.
Heading sees the 6-foot-8 Baltazar finally playing his full potential after getting his feet wet playing a total of 12 games in the mid-season conference.
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“We’re excited to unleash Justine in the conference. We’re going to ride on his post up games as well as all of our talent,” said the rookie guard of his fellow freshman.
The third seeded FiberXers lost to the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters in their best-of-three quarterfinals series despite taking a 1-0 head start.
Compounding the woes of the team was the back spasm Heading suffered in the 114-104 loss in Game 2, leaving him struggling during the sudden-death Game 3 where he finished with just three points (1-of-8 shooting), five rebounds, and four assists in a 112-103 setback.
It’s the second straight time the team lost in a do-or-die quarterfinals match after bowing to San Miguel in Game 5 of the Governors’ Cup playoffs.
Heading averaged 17.6 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 6.0 assists in his first playoffs in the PBA, while Baltazar submitted norms of 10.6 points and 6.6 rebounds in the three games he played in the quarterfinals.
Alec Stockton (19.6 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 6.0 assists), Justine Arana (18.0 points and 7.0 rebounds), and Deschon Winston (13.6 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 4.3 assists) were the other locals who averaged in double figures for Converge, giving Heading enough optimism the FiberXers could be a force to reckon with in the final conference of Season 49.
“I think we really have a good chance. We’re looking forward to that,” said the former no.1 pick in the 2020 Gilas special draft.
Besides, the FiberXers’ early ouster in the playoffs is an added fire in the belly for the team to bounce back.
“We got all the motivation in the world now,” Heading added.
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