Converge head coach Franco Atienza gives Jordan Heading a passing mark
Jordan Heading’s debut was one of the highlights of the Philippine Basketball Association Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup opening.
The Converge FiberXers defeated the Terrafirma Dyip, 116-87, on Wednesday, November 27, at the Philsports Arena in Pasig.
Heading finished the game with eight points on 3-of-5 shooting from the field, four rebounds, and six assists against three turnovers in 24 minutes, just enough to get a passing grade from Converge head coach Franco Atienza.
“So far, so good. We believe he played really well. He is slowly understanding what we want to do on both ends of the floor. I think for a first game, he exceeded our expectations,” said the FiberXers mentor about the 6-foot-2 sweet shooting guard.
The 28-year-old Filipino-Australian also shared his take about his team.
“I think as long as we keep moving in the right direction, in terms of our chemistry and in terms of playing for each other rather than playing for ourselves, I think the sky’s the limit for us,” Heading said.
“We got to build our chemistry out there. We got to figure out what each guy does well and carve out each other’s roles and be aware of that.”
Heading’s contribution in the game was also sufficient to supplement the all-around effort of Converge import Cheick Diallo who registered 25 points, 16 rebounds, two assists, one steal, and a block while only limiting his Terrafirma counterpart Ryan Richards to only 10 markers.
Justin Arana also produced double-double numbers for the FiberXers with 16 points, and 12 boards, with Bryan Santos adding 12 markers.
Mike Nieto was named Best Player of the Game as he contributed 11 points (nine coming from the rainbow country) on 4-of-5 shooting from the field, to go along with two rebounds and one dime.
Converge will be going for back-to-back wins when they face Hong Kong Eastern for the early solo lead of the teams standings on Friday, November 29, 7:30 PM at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
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The San Miguel Beermen have tied the PBA Season 49 Philippine Cup Finals at 1-1 after defeating the TNT Tropang 5G, 98-92, in Game 2 on Wednesday, July 16, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Don Trollano delivered a breakout performance off the bench, tallying 22 points on an efficient 10-of-16 shooting from the floor. He also grabbed six rebounds and handed out an assist, leading San Miguel's charge to equalize the series.
June Mar Fajardo provided solid support with 17 markers, nine boards, three dimes, and one steal. Mo Tautuaa also stepped up, sealing the win with a wide-open layup to close the game without any controversy. He ended with 16 points and four rebounds.
Jeron Teng made his presence felt with 10 markers—all in the first half—while assistant playing coach Chris Ross showcased his trademark leadership and defensive intensity, wrapping up the game with seven points, four rebounds, seven assists, and four steals.
The Beermen started strong with a 23-19 lead in the first quarter, then widened the gap with a 28-20 second period to take a 51-39 advantage at the half. However, TNT responded with a 35-24 third-quarter run to trim SMB’s lead to just one, 75-74, entering the fourth and final quarter.
For TNT, Calvin Oftana kept his team in the hunt with 23 points, seven rebounds, one assist, and one steal. He was followed by Jordan Heading with 15 markers, two boards, and one deflection.
Tropang 5G big men Kelly Williams and Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser also scored in double figures with 11 and 10 points, respectively. Meanwhile, Poy Erram finished with six points in 15 minutes of action before leaving the game due to a sprained ankle.
With the series now tied, both teams look to gain the upper hand in Game 3 on Friday, July 18, at 7:30 PM at the Big Dome.
After a close Game 1 of the PBA Season 49 Philippine Cup Finals — marred by the “basket interference” controversy — protagonists San Miguel Beermen and TNT Tropang 5G now focus on winning Game 2.
San Miguel, the winningest franchise in PBA history, will try to tie the series at 1-1 while moving past their opening game loss, which was clouded by the PBA technical committee’s review of Mo Tautuaa’s dunk.
They will once again bank on the dominance of eight-time MVP June Mar Fajardo, along with CJ Perez and the rest of the squad, to get the equalizer.
On the other side, TNT — eyeing the first grand slam in franchise history — will again lean on RR Pogoy, who returned in Game 1 after missing the latter part of the semifinals. Pogoy was named Best Player of the Game after finishing with 24 points, including 3-of-6 shooting from beyond the arc and a perfect 2-of-2 from the four-point line. He even knocked down a buzzer-beater before halftime to give TNT a 61-41 lead after leading just 28-22 at the end of the first quarter.
In that game, SMB tried to erase the 24-point deficit but still trailed by 19 at the end of the third period.
In the fourth and final canto, the Beermen mounted a comeback and even briefly took the lead. There was an exchange of three-pointers between Chris Ross and Pogoy at the end game before a jump ball was called — which then led to the controversial review.
TNT will also continue to rely on the brilliance of Jordan Heading and Calvin Oftana, along with their frontcourt unit of Poy Erram, Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser, and 2007–08 MVP Kelly Williams to contain Fajardo’s impact.
Now that both teams have moved on from their first encounter, the question is: who wants it more heading into Game 2, set later tonight — July 16, 7:30 PM — at the Smart Araneta Coliseum?
The TNT Tropang 5G are back in the Finals—and the grand slam dream is still alive.
TNT powered past the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, 116-95, in Game 6 of their PBA Season 49 Philippine Cup semifinals on Sunday, July 6, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. With the win, they secured their third consecutive Finals appearance and stayed on course for what could be the franchise’s first-ever grand slam.
Jordan Heading led the charge, finishing with 29 points, three rebounds, four assists, and two steals in a statement performance that helped TNT close out the series, 4-2.
Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser added 17 markers, five rebounds, two assists, and three blocks in a complete two-way showing. Glenn Khobuntin posted a double-double of 16 points and 12 rebounds, while Kim Aurin and Calvin Oftana chipped in 13 and 12 points, respectively.
“All we wanted was to give ourselves a chance… these guys—they don’t know the meaning of quit,” said TNT head coach Chot Reyes, recalling the team’s early 0-3 start in the conference and their climb back into title contention.
On the Rain or Shine side, Caelan Tiongson dropped a game-high 30 points alongside six rebounds and an assist. Andrei Caracut and Adrian Nocum contributed 15 and 11, but the Elasto Painters had no answers for TNT’s late surge, especially during a 14-2 blast sparked by Heading and Ganuelas-Rosser in the final frame.