CHICAGO - The Converge FiberXers have found a new import just in the nick of time as the Governor's Cup elimination round comes to a close.
Thomas "Tom" Vodanovich, a 6-foot-7, 229-pound forward, is expected to arrive in the Philippines on Thursday to replace the banished Jamaal Franklin, multiple sources told SPIN.ph.
READ: Converge lets go of prolific Jamaal Franklin
The 28-year old Tall Blacks player is arriving from Australia, where he and the New Zealand Breakers just lost to the Sydney Kings in a closely-fought five-game National Basketball League (NBL) Finals.
Averaging a modest 3.7 points and 2.5 rebounds while appearing for 27 games with the Breakers this NBA season, Vodanovcih's stats do not invite hype.
But scouts said he is a "solid all-around player who fits perfectly in the system of [Converge head coach] Aldin Ayo."
Vodanovich played four years with the James Madison Dukes in the US NCAA. He went undrafted in the 2017 NBA draft and is a member of the New Zealand national team, the Tall Blacks, where he started as a developmental player in 2018.
He led the Tall Blacks with 20 points in an 88-63 road win over Gilas Pilipinas in a Fiba World Cup Asian qualifier last February, 2022.
Scouts who helped the FiberXers recruit Vodanovich said "he is a terrific rebounder, can shoot the 3 and can guard Justin Brownlee," which would be key since Converge may end up facing Barangay Ginebra in the quarterfinals.
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