Ahanmisi redeems self after being on wrong end of PBA 4-point history

MANILA, Philippines – Jerrick Ahanmisi knew he needed to redeem himself after being pictured guarding the first four-point shot in PBA history.

And he did so in style as Ahanmisi became the first PBA local to sink three four-pointers in a game in helping Magnolia score a 105-93 win over Converge in the Governors’ Cup on Friday, August 23.

The former Adamson standout went 3-of-4 from the newly implemented arc to finish with 14 points as the Hotshots claimed their first victory of the season after a close loss to Meralco, which saw Ahanmisi unsuccessfully contest Chris Banchero for the first-ever four-point shot in an official PBA game.

“It was my wife who told me that it was kind of embarrassing in a way to be on… there is like a cover of a magazine I’m in front of but I’m not the one shooting the ball,” said Ahanmisi.

“She definitely made it apparent to me that I need to come in to the next game and kind of show out and come back at whatever happened to me in the first game.”

Relishing his starting role, Ahanmisi came out firing from the get-go as he drained back-to-back four-pointers in the first four minutes of the game.

Ahanmisi knocked down his third and last four-point shot in the third quarter for a 75-56 cushion — allowing Magnolia to build a lead big enough to stave off the FiberXers’ fourth-quarter rally.

For veteran teammate Paul Lee, Ahanmisi is merely reaping the rewards of his labor.

“I’m not going to lie, the kid is really hardworking. We saw the result. Hands down to the kid. Coming from a season in which he barely played, he still shows up on the court every morning and does his routine,” said Lee.

“His hard work is paying off. I’m really proud of Jerrick.”

Ahanmisi appeared in just 18 of the Hotshots’ 34 games last season, averaging 2.8 points and 1.4 rebounds in just 10.7 minutes of action.

Slotted into the starting lineup by head coach Chito Victolero in their first two games of the conference, Ahanmisi — now in his fourth year in the PBA — has his fingers crossed that he finally breaks out.

“I’ve been putting in work for how long I can even remember. Before practice and after practice, whether I play a lot or not, I try to increase and improve my game every single day,” Ahanmisi said.

“Hopefully, the season will be the season for me.” – Rappler.com