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    Jerrick Ahanmisi hopes to make Franz Pumaren proud as he eyes place in PBA

    Jerrick Ahanmisi hopes to make Franz Pumaren proud in path to PBA
    Mar 2, 2021

    FOR his entire time in Adamson, Jerrick Ahanmisi heard his coach Franz Pumaren share his experiences, and at times, even flaunt his resume.

    "For sure, he definitely bragged about whatever he did back then when he played in the PBA," he told The Prospects Pod.

    "He would always bring it out whether we are having our own film session, or just to like joke around with the team. He would definitely show us and tell us to watch some clips when he was playing."

    It could be off-putting for some, but consider that Pumaren, after all, can walk the walk.

    The multi-titled mentor was a 5-foot-9 point guard in his playing days and was one of the key figures for San Miguel's dominant run in the late 1980s to the 1990s.

    Adamson Coach Franz Pumaren, Jerrick Ahanmisi

    He was side-by-side with Hector Calma in the backcourt as the Beermen completed the rare Grand Slam in the 1989 season and retired with nine PBA championships to boot.

    So yes, Ahanmisi definitely listened because Pumaren knew what he was talking about.

    And as the 23-year-old seeks to follow his mentor's footsteps and make it to the pro league, he's taking all of those words into heart.

    "He would definitely tell me to always stay mentally tough and don’t let anybody get into my head whenever I was playing because he would always tell me that I always have a target on my back, everybody’s gonna go after me, and everybody’s gonna play hard defense on me," Ahanmisi recalled.

    Adamson player Jerrick Ahanmisi

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    "He would always tell me to be mentally tough and just play my own game and to always make sure I’m staying level-headed during the games," said Ahanmisi, who averaged a team-best 13.1 points on 29-percent clip from deep, 3.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 30 minutes of play in his final year in Adamson last UAAP Season 82.

    Ahanmisi is confident that he has learned as much as he could from Pumaren and is hopeful that he can make the same impact as his coach did in the PBA.

    "I feel like I can make decisions pretty quick and making the right decisions pretty quick as well, whether on defense or offense. I just hope to make him proud," he said.

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