ANTIPOLO – In only his first game after signing a contract with Converge, Maverick Ahanmisi was one of the unsung heroes in the FiberXers' maiden PBA win.
Ahanmisi scored 14 points, grabbed five rebounds, made six assists, and had three steals in the FiberXers’ 89-82 overtime win over Magnolia Chicken Timplados just days after signing on the dotted line.
Ahanmisi's heroics also put to naught an impressive performance by his younger brother Jerrick, whose back-to-back threes in the second period gave the Hotshots a 20-point spread, 41-21.
Converge coach Jeff Cariaso admitted he wasn't fully convinced that it was a good idea to play Ahanmisi in the game against Magnolia since he had only attended practice three times since signing a contract.
But Cariaso said the third overall pick of the 2015 PBA draft made his experience count.
“I told him I’m going to try not to play you today,” said Cariaso of the 30-year old Ahanmisi, who came off the bench during the second quarter. “He only practiced with us three times."
After RK Ilagan drained the first field goal of overtime on a three-pointer, Ahanmisi picked up the scoring cudgels by scoring on a floater that raised the Converge lead to 87-82.
“That’s where the veteran leadership comes into play. You know that he has been around a little bit. He can step in despite not being truly in game shape yet, not knowing the guys too well," Cariaso said.
"But he again gave us the spark that we needed, that reliable spark that we need.”
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