Guest team Hong Kong Eastern had a rousing debut in their PBA Commissioner’s Cup guesting, routing the Phoenix Fuel Masters, 102-87, on opening day. A big reason for this smashing win was Hayden Blankley, who put up 18 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 blocks in a game that called to mind his days playing for the Bay Area Dragons, also in the PBA.
The Dragons, of course, were the league’s guests in the 2022–23 PBA Commissioner’s Cup, where they finished one game away from winning a historic title. That team was bannered by a pair of seasoned NBA vets Andrew Nicholson and Myles Powell and reinforced by Chinese Basketball Association veterans like Zhou Songwei and Ju Mingxin.
Blankley and his Eastern teammate Kobey Lam, meanwhile, were Bay Area’s “babies”—young up-and-comers who turned out to be diamonds in the rough, providing the team additional firepower and depth. The Sydney-born Blankley, in particular, emerged as one of the Dragons’ best players, posting per-game averages of 13.4 points, 7.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.2 steals.
Eastern’s Young Leader
Still only 24, Blankley is trying to impart to his Eastern teammates whatever he has gained from his previous stint in the PBA—in effect becoming one of the team’s leaders, along with former PBA import Cameron Clark, Lam, and Glen Yang, another Bay Area returnee.
And it appears Blankley is embracing this daunting challenge.
“This is the first time on a team when I felt like I could actually give some kind of insight to the guys on the team even though I’m pretty sure I’m the youngest guy on the team,” Blankley told reporters on Wednesday after Eastern’s debut win. “I feel I can act as a bit of a veteran just because we had the PBA experience before. We can provide insights to other players, and we’ve been trying our hardest, Glen, Kobey, and I, to just to give little tips…”
Blankley himself acknowledged that this experience was all new to him.
“It’s a fun experience for me. For the first time in my career I feel like a little bit of a veteran, be a little more mature for the team, help the guys out, think a little bit more, think the game,” he added.
It should be fun, indeed, as Blankley has looked ready for bigger, better things even during his Bay Area days. And if he plays anything like he did against Phoenix, good things might be in store for Eastern.
You can catch Blankley and Eastern back in action later today when they take on the Converge FiberXers at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
