In a far cry from the usual imports in the PBA, newcomer Prince Ibeh is taking pride in his abilities on the defensive end.
The 24-year-old proved as much in his PBA debut Wednesday. He collected three steals and two blocks, along with 19 points and 13 rebounds to help his NorthPort Batang Pier drub the Alaska Aces, 103-81, for a successful 2019 Commissioner’s Cup opener.
“That’s something I’ve been my whole career. When I’m on the floor, it’s going to be a different story in terms of teams getting easy baskets,” said Ibeh, who played for NCAA Division 1 school Texas Longhorns for four years.
“Whatever they run, I know I have the ability to take them out of that, especially if the import is their focal point,” added the 6-foot-10 center, who averaged 2.6 blocks with Yokohama in Japan B.League.
“That’s something I pride myself in.”
Though Ibeh’s production in his debut was not particularly eye-popping, NorthPort head coach Pido Jarencio shared that his on-court presence alone is already jaw-dropping.
“Import, kahit papano, intimidating sa loob,” lauded Batang Pier head coach Pido Jarencio of Ibeh. “Ang laki. Ang haba ng kamay, tapos he’s getting the rebounds. ‘Pag binigyan mo ng drop pass, nakakakuha ng finish.
“Nakita na natin kung ano pwede niyang ibigay for the team. Yun ang importante eh. Yung rebounding, number one. Number two, yung presence inside. Intimidation, against the opponents. Number three, nakaka-finish siya,” the animated mentor added.
“Pero siguro magi-improve pa yan.”
Ibeh is aware of what Jarencio wants him to improve. But for the former NBA G-League campaigner, he also expects more from himself even if he had a commendable outing in his debut.
“I wanna see more from myself. My expectations are higher than the performance that I had today.”
