Du’Vaughn Maxwell aims to serve as resident import for Phoenix Super LPG in the Philippine Basketball Association.
In an interview with Daily Tribune, Maxwell vowed to do his best to earn the trust of the Fuel Masters that would prompt them to keep him similar to the setup between Justin Brownlee and Barangay Ginebra San Miguel.
The coming Governors’ Cup is going to be Maxwell’s second tour of duty for Phoenix.
He first suited up for the Fuel Masters last year as replacement for Paul Harris and Dominic Sutton in which he averaged 27.5 points, 13.8 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.5 blocks per game in four outings.
He will be one of the five returning imports together with Brownlee, KJ McDaniels of Meralco, Michael Qualls of Rain or Shine and Shawn Glover of Blackwater.
“I’m definitely looking forward to it. Last time, I only had four games. Now we have a full conference and I’m just excited what we can accomplish with a full conference,” Maxwell said, adding that he is hardly bothered by the personnel changes at Phoenix.
“On a positive note, we’re doing a lot, and it’s all over the media, with the coaching change, player changes. I’ve experienced that a lot in my career,” Maxwell said.
“But there’s no excuses. We have to play, we have to perform and we don’t care who are the coaches and how many practices we had. The fact that we are adjusting, we have to perform. We just have to get the job done.”
Maxwell’s agent, former PBA player and team executive BJ Manalo, encourages him to do well – on and off the court – to encourage the Fuel Masters to have him as resident import.
“Du’Vaughn is going to do basketball clinics for kids,” said Manalo, who served as team manager of GlobalPort and Iloilo in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League.
“Usually, imports come to the Philippines, do a lot of partying, damaging our basketball reputation. But Du’Vaughn is here not just to play but to give back. Who knows, he can inspire a player from the barangay to play better and hopefully, get a scholarship so he can study high school and college.”
Maxwell said the Filipino brand of game excites him as it perfectly suits his game.
In fact, his good friend in former Rain or Shine import Arizona Reid gave him ideas on Philippine basketball and the passion that fans have for the game.
“I’ve heard a lot about Philippine basketball through my good friend, Arizona Reid. He was a heck of a player,” Maxwell said.
“True enough, the games here are exciting to watch. The style of play, it’s fast paced. They just take the best shot available.”
