The final import announced this PBA conference made his presence felt right away.
The NorthPort Batang Pier opened their PBA Commissioner's Cup on a positive note after outlasting the Terrafirma Dyip, 108-103, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
After a back-and-forth affair between the two squads, it was the Batang Pier that seemingly had that extra step in them to distance themselves in the final minutes of the game against the Dyip.
The battle of imports was seemingly an easy decision to make as Venky Jois dropped 43 points on 19-of-27 shooting from the field, on top of 10 rebounds, three assists, a steal, and a block.
Jois is the first Australian-born import in PBA history.
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Terrafirma's import Thomas De Thaey, on the other hand, finished with 20 points and seven rebounds. Top overall pick Stephen Holt, meanwhile, tallied 11 points, six rebounds, and five assists in the loss.
After what was a career game from the Australian import, Jois deflected the praises, saying that the more important thing is for the team to continue jelling as a unit.
“I think that it's impossible to play five-on-one. I know some imports might have tried it here but I don't think that even looks like good basketball,” Jois said during the post-game press conference. “I think the better that we can be as a team, it makes it so much easier for me.”
Jois likewise pointed out that that the key to NorthPort’s victory was their adjustments throughout the game.
“I think the adjustments that we made were more defense and running is when we looked really really good,” said Jois. “As a team, I think we improved from the first 10 minutes to the last 10 minutes by a lot.”
Coach Bonnie Tan, meanwhile, had nothing but praises for his 6-foot-4 import, even hinting at the possibilities of him returning in other PBA conferences if he continues to do well.
“I always tell him na if you do well this conference, a lot of possibility na for the next 6'6 import na height limit, he'll be back,” said Tan.
“I want to share also (kay) Venky na PBA teams dito, mga coaches magagaling, so they're good in scouting. Hopefully, Venky can also adjust in our next game,” he added.
NorthPort will look to continue to grab their second win in the conference on Sunday against the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City.
Terrafirma, meanwhile, will look to bounce back on Wednesday against the Blackwater Bossing also at the Ynares Center.
(CF)