PBA: Maverick Ahanmisi, Converge hope to sustain strong start

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Converge guard Maverick Ahanmisi struggled for rebounds against two NorthPort players. PBA PICTURES

MANILA, Philippines-Maverick Ahanmisi put in an all-out performance to help Convergen to the NorthPort Governors Cup opener on Sunday night.

The crafty guard finished with 29 points, 9 assists, and 6 rebounds to help the FiberXers beat the undermanned Batang Pier 122-92.

But with a botched Commissioner’s Cup campaign fresh in his mind, Ahanmisi, a one-time PBA champion in Rain or Shine, is instead focusing on what the club needs to do to maintain a strong start to the conference finals this season.

“We’ve been good [campaign] last conference, so we have to build on that,” he said. “Like the coach said, we just have to follow the strategy and the system that we have.”

“We have a lot of good pieces. We’re still a new team, but I think if we play hard, our chemistry will show,” he said.

Converge collected eight wins against just four losses in the Commissioner’s Cup to earn the No. 4 seed. But that also put the club on a collision course with the mighty San Miguel Beer who beat the FiberXers in the best-of-three quarterfinals.

This first game can certainly be a small sample size for Converge. But the production of the rest of the crew should help in the club’s cause.

Jeron Teng had 16 points and nine rebounds, Abu Tratter scored 13 and six, while David Murell and Taylor Brown both scored in double figures.

Newcomer Jerrick Balanza, formerly Aldin Ayo’s enforcer in Letran, scored 13 more than his old team, while Kiwi import Ethan Rustbach had 17 for ninth place.

Converge ended up accounting for 16 triples and 27 assists after bucking a shaky start-which according to Let’s validate that FiberXers are on the right track.

“We started slowly because there were some players looking for points. But I feel happy because it was our first game,” he said. “After that, they all executed. And we adjust players to their strengths.

“They are familiar with our system,” Ayo said of the ward. “But I’m telling you that preparation alone is not enough.”

“I always think about our shortcomings. But as long as we absorb everything we want, (we will be fine),” he said.