Maverick Ahanmisi refuses to blame officiating for Manila Clasico loss

Despite the close defeat of Brgy. Ginebra to archrival Magnolia on Sunday, Maverick Ahanmisi, the new Gin King, had a delightful experience playing in his first “Manila Clasico”.

Impressively, Ahanmisi showcased his skills by registering a double-double of 21 points and 13 rebounds, thriving in the midst of one of the most significant rivalries in Philippine basketball.

Undoubtedly, Ahanmisi would have cherished the experience even more if the Gin Kings had emerged victorious.

“It was fun. I haven’t experienced nothing else like this in PBA basketball so I’m glad I could be part of this. It’s just unfortunate that we couldn’t come out with the W,” said Ahanmisi shortly after his team blew a 26-point lead and picked up their first loss of the conference.

“Obviously, you want to make every shot you take but it shouldn’t have gotten to that point. We were up 25 and that was completely on us. We didn’t defend well in the second half. They started attacking our pick-and-roll’s and we just collapsed.”

The match reached a thrilling climax in the final moments, with controversial calls by game officials on both teams. However, Ahanmisi refuses to make any justifications for the defeat, which has left the defending champs with a 1-1 record.

“We could go on and on about officiating or whatever but we lost that game. We had a good enough cushion and we didn’t focus.”

In the latest episode of Manila Clasico, Jerick Ahanmisi, the younger brother of Maverick, was also present on the court playing for the unbeaten Hotshots.

Despite losing to his sibling, Maverick expressed his satisfaction in becoming a new addition to the Clasico rivalry.

“I’m glad he played well as well and it’s been fun. We don’t really have too much conversations about playing against each other but it’s always competitive.”

Jerrick didn’t really match up with his brother’s stellar stat line but he still chipped in 5 points to go with a rebound and a steal.