“I know it’s going to be tough.”
Maverick Ahanmisi will be putting his Obstacle Challenge championship on the line on Friday in the 2017 PBA All Star Week, and he is fully aware of the daunting challenge he has to overcome to defend his title.
“Obviously, I’ll try to win again, but I know it’s going to be tough. I got a lot of tough competitors who will try to beat me,” shared the Californian third overall pick of the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters in the 2015 PBA Draft.
Ahanmisi has 11 more reasons to describe this year’s edition of the skills challenge as a tough one, as Sol Mercado, Alex Cabagnot, Stanley Pringle, RJ Jazul, LA Revilla, Ed Daquioag, Kris Rosales, Abel Galliguez, Roi Sumang, Emman Monfort, and Alvin Abundo all stand in his way in his bid to retain his crown.
“There’s too many to choose from. Stanley, Emman Monfort, you can go down the line. Every player has their own skillset. That’s why they’re chosen, to try to compete, Every player is hard to beat,” said the 25-year-old.
Still, Ahanmisi expects a fun contest to take place, given that there are plenty of competitors who can give him a run for his money.
“It’s a fun experience and I’m glad I’m here again. Glad I won last year so I’m able to be here again with a good group of guys and competitors. It’s going to be a fun competition,” he declared.
But aside from vying for a back-to-back finish, Ahanmisi has also been included in the Three-Point Shootout, taking the place of teammate and known sniper Chris Tiu, who begged off from the said contest.
“I’m happy to be added,” said Ahanmisi. “I think I should fare well. I know I can shoot, but there’s a lot of shooters who I’ll be going up against, especially Terrence [Romeo] is defending his title so he’s going to come to win also.”
And Ahanmisi, indeed, has a Friday full of challenges.
