Schonny Winston will be ready to carry the cudgels when Converge competes in the Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup starting 5 November.
The Filipino-American playmaker vowed to go all out for the FiberXers, who will be marching into the 48th season without a pair of key players who made them successful in their first year in the league.
Playmaker Maverick Ahanmisi packed his bags for Barangay Ginebra San Miguel while Jeron Tan walked away for San Miguel Beer in the off-season.
The departure of Ahanmisi is a major blow for Converge as he averaged 19.6 points, 6.6 rebounds. 3.1 assists and 1.2 steals per game in the Governors’ Cup.
Teng, for his part, averaged 10.8 points and 4.8 rebounds before joining San Miguel, where his father used to play.
Winston knows that he is facing a golden opportunity so he is ready to give his best to come up with a memorable rookie season for the franchise.
“I am excited. The fans in the PBA are really strong. I am excited to really play in the Philippines,” said Winston, one of the Most Valuable Players frontrunners in the previous season of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines while playing for De La Salle University.
He added that he has to stay ready if he wants to help Converge make its first semifinal appearance since taking over the Alaska franchise last year.
“The challenge is to play the best you can be and just work hard and come prepared for every game. I think these are the things I need to do now that I’m playing in a big-time basketball league,” Winston said.
He stressed that he is getting motivated by the system of head coach Aldin Ayo, who coached the Green Archers for three years.
“I like the energy we bring,” Winston said.
“We’re a young team. We have to find our edge against more veteran teams. We’re going to use that in every game we play.”
Ayo acknowledged the importance of Winston, saying that he has what it takes to fill the cudgels created by the departure of Ahanmis and Teng.
“They’re the top two (local) scorers. Hopefully, our new acquisitions like Adrian Wong, Mike Nieto, and Schonny Winston can be able to make up for that,” Ayo said.
