Struggling to showcase his skill set in the previously guard-loaded Magnolia Hotshots roster, Jerrick Ahanmisi patiently waited for the right moment to unravel his true potential.
Following the trade that sent Jio Jalalon to NorthPort, Ahanmisi saw an opportunity to flourish and complement veteran guards Mark Barroca and Paul Lee.
Now entering his fourth season, Ahanmisi believes the timing is just right and in Magnolia’s first win of the season — a 105-93 beat down of the Hotshots over the Converge Fiberxers — the younger brother of veteran guard Maverick Ahanmisi drilled in 14 points, including back-to-back four-point shots in a span of 29 seconds.
Speaking to select group of sportswriters, Ahanmisi felt he’s bound for a breakout season.
“I think so,’ said Ahanmisi. “For the past couple years, I’ve been putting in the work for, I don’t know how long I can remember, before or after practice.”
“Whether I play a lot or not, I try to increase and improve my game every single time.”
Lee witnessed the hardwork shown by Ahanmisi during practices.
“I’m not gonna lie, sobrang sipag nung bata,” added Lee.
Ahanmisi’s extraordinary effort during training sessions earned the trust of coach Chito Victolero, who inserted him to the starting role job, but the Hotshots mentor believes there’s more to the player’s game that he would like to see.
“We want to develop him into a two-way player,” added Victolero. “For many years, naglalaro kasi si Jerrick as a shooting guard and now, kino-convert namin siyang mag-point guard.”
