Mac Tallo proved that he is worth fighting for as he delivered a solid performance for Converge in the Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup.
Tallo came off the bench to chip in 15 points in the FiberXers’ 84-103 loss to Blackwater on Wednesday at the Philsports Arena.
Converge coach Aldin Ayo said he saw a lot of promise on Tallo, a player they lobbied hard to be included in the final roster for the season-opening conference.
Ayo, however, said he has yet to fully see how Tallo will blend with other young guns like Schonny Winston, Justin Arana and import Tom Vodanovich.
“We know we have to do things collectively after we lost two of our top scorers,” said Ayo, referring to Mav Ahanmisi and Jeron Teng, who were acquired by Barangay Ginebra and San Miguel Beer in free agency, respectively.
“So, this means we need to find new top scorers on the team and Mac showed his readiness to step up.”
Also stepping up was Dario, who was given another opportunity after a short-lived stint with Blackwater.
Although he didn’t produce much in scoring, the 5-foot-11 former University of the Philippines stalwart provided the energy in the backcourt for his new team, Meralco.
“I’m happy for Diego — from a practice player to a bench warmer to becoming an integral part of our roster. He’s smart, he works hard, and there’s a lot of things he brings to the table,” Bolts head coach Luigi Trillo said.
