Maverick Ahanmisi and Jeron Teng are determined to help their new teams win the title when the Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup opens on 5 November.
Ahanmisi said he is thrilled to join a solid contender in Barangay Ginebra San Miguel while Teng is excited to help the former team of his father, Alvin Teng, in San Miguel Beer.
A former US National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I standout, Ahanmisi brings wealth of experience to the Kings, who will be missing the services of resident import Justin Brownlee who tested positive for a banned substance in the aftermath of the 19th Asian Games.
Still, the Kings remain a solid force to be reckoned with as they bring back the core of reigning Most Valuable Player Scottie Thompson, Stanley Pringle, Japeth Aguilar, Christian Standhardinger and LA Tenorio.
Ahanmisi, who had a lot of memorable battles against the Kings when he was still at Converge, said playing for Ginebra is truly a blessing.
“As much as I enjoyed playing against Ginebra, you wanted to be on their side as well,” Ahanmisi said. “I pursued Ginebra and I would say I’m blessed.”
“That’s what you play for, the pressure of trying to win a title. Many organizations have that desire of trying to win a title and that’s what I signed for. There’s no other team now I would rather play for than Ginebra.”
For Teng, it’s all about carving his own niche and blazing the trail taken by his father, who won a grand slam with San Miguel in 1989.
“When I broke the news to him (Alvin) that I’ll be playing for San Miguel, he was really happy,” the younger Teng said.
“My dad had a great career with San Miguel and he won multiple championships and I’m here now in a good position to win a championship. I’m really excited for the upcoming season.”
