Converge import Scotty Thompson.–PBA IMAGES
Converge is patiently waiting for top overall pick Justine Baltazar to finally join its camp.
But it still got its mission of transforming last season’s worst record to an upward trajectory off and running.
“This is just one game,” acting coach Franco Atienza said. “But it’s a good Day One for us.”
How could it not be?
The FiberXers, under a new leadership, showed great promise after routing the new-look Terrafirma Dyip, 127-95, in Group A of the PBA Governors’ Cup at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The FiberXers, who in the 2023-24 season won just three out of 22 games to earn the right to select Baltazar, have found reason to hope for better days ahead.
Import Scotty Hopson became the first player to score all of his three attempts from the new four-point range and came through with 46 points as Converge frustrated a Terrafirma team that got Christian Standhardinger and Stanley Pringle from Barangay Ginebra on the eve of the Rookie Draft.
Hopson, Alec Stockton and franchise cornerstone Justin Arana will now look to sustain their showing when they face a sterner test on Friday against Magnolia at the same venue.
Stockton scored 13 of his 21 points in the third to back up Hopson as the FiberXers pulled away and turned things into a blowout.
“Day one is over, but we like what we saw [in our first game],” said Atienza, who shared coaching duties with consultant Rajko Toroman and assistant coach Charles Tiu.
Keep lion hungry
Meanwhile, Meralco knows the right mental approach to this tournament after producing a breakthrough championship in last season’s Philippine Cup.
“The rule of nature is that once that lion has had his meal, he’s gonna go to sleep and he’s not as hungry and eager to get his next meal,” said Bolts captain Chris Newsome, who’ll look to put his team the early lead in Group A against the defending champion TNT Tropang Giga on Thursday at the Big Dome.
Meralco opened the new season with Sunday’s 99-94 victory over Magnolia, even with import Allen Durham far from the shape his team desires and the rest of the club having a short rest coming off the title run last June.
“I told the guys that we have to do a reverse nature and try to empty your stomach,” said Newsome. “Because we need to have that same hunger that we had before we won the championship.”
TNT got its own title ambition going two nights prior by edging NorthPort, 101-95, behind import Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, whose 32 points, 10 rebounds, five rebounds, four steals and four blocks keyed the win.
Hollis-Jefferson, in his third tour of duty with the Tropang Giga, is liking the team’s chances of another championship run, especially with new addition Rey Nambatac in tow.
“The guys are locked in and focused,” said Hollis-Jefferson. “I feel like as long as we stay focused and keep doing what [TNT coach Chot Reyes] wants to do, and stay locked in to the process, I feel like the sky’s the limit.”
NLEX faces Blackwater in Group B at 5 p.m. before the TNT-Meralco tiff at 7:30 p.m.
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TNT won the Governors’ Cup two seasons ago and didn’t get the chance to defend it last season when the tournament was scrubbed by the league to give way to the national team.