Maverick Ahanmisi, adjudged the Most Improved Player in the season just passed, seems to be blending well with his new team Barangay Ginebra San Miguel.
On Friday night, Ahanmisi put up Most Valuable Player-like numbers, drilling in 21 points on five-of-seven shooting from downtown, grabbing 12 rebounds and dishing off nine feeds to lift the Gin Kings to a 107-102 win over Rain or Shine the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Head coach Time Cone swore it was Ahanmisi’s “shot that kept us in the game and kept usn in the lead for most of the game.”
Though import Tony Bishop led the way with 25 points and 12 boards and Christian Standhardinger fired 19, it was Ahanmisi who made things happen.
The win helped Ginebra score its second win in three games and make up for its heartbreaking 93-91 defeat to Magnolia last Sunday also at the Big Dome where it squandered a 26-point first half advantage.
Ahanmisi insists he just came out aggressively and that’s the reason why succeeded in lighting up the scoreboard.
Likewise, Ahanmisi feels that the presence of scoring guard Scottie Thompson on the team left him open for good looks since Thompson draws a lot of attention from defenders.
“They just kept on finding me open and my job is easier and that is to knock down those shots.”
Ahanmisi’s entry allowed the squad to plug in the hole left by veteran guard L.A. Tenorio, who is recovering from colon cancer.
Also being felt by Ginebra is the absence of the tried and tested import Justin Brownlee in its lineup, who is eagerly awaiting for the official report of the World Anti-Doping Agency following the detection of a banned substance in his samples taken during the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou.
