Once upon a time, lots of fans thought the Magnolia Hotshots won the trade that sent Jerrick Ahanmisi to the Terrafirma Dyip for Javi Gomez de Liaño. They might still win that trade when all is said and done, but in the here and now, it looks like the Dyip has gotten the better end of it.
Terrafirma’s surprising 2–0 start in this PBA Commissioner’s Cup is further proof of it.
Ahanmisi has helped the Dyip to their dream start, putting up 20.0 points, 1.5 rebounds, 6.0 assists, and 2.5 steals across two games—both wins against the Titan Ultra Giant Risers and the Converge FiberXers.
For his efforts, Jerrick Ahanmisi was rightfully named the first PBA Press Corps Player of the Week of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup for March 11 to 15. It is also the first in the former Adamson Soaring Falcon’s career as a pro.
Jerrick Ahanmisi Steering the Dyip
In the Philippine Cup, Jerrick Ahanmisi averaged 15.2 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.2 assists as he quickly became the face and main man of Terrafirma. Now, two games into the Commissioner’s Cup, the ex-Hotshot is proving that his breakout last conference wasn’t a fluke at all.
He was particularly superb against Titan, firing 26 big points and keying a second-half surge with a 17-point third-quarter explosion to spark the Dyip to the opening-day win. Ahanmisi, the younger brother of veteran Maverick Ahanmisi, was somewhat limited to 14 points by Converge, but he hit a cold-blooded triple to open overtime. That trey gave Terrafirma the lead for good en route to their stunning upset.
The younger Ahanmisi’s strong start to the conference, incidentally, came on the heels of a historic showing at the PBA All-Star Weekend in Candon, Ilocos Sur. There, the sweet-shooting guard became the first PBA player ever to win two skills events after topping both the Obstacle Challenge for guards and the Three-Point Shootout.
Jerrick Ahanmisi beat out Robert Bolick of the NLEX Road Warriors, and Ricci Rivero and Evan Nelle of the Phoenix Fuel Masters. Phoenix and NLEX, like Terrafirma, are also 2–0.
