ANTIPOLO – It came as a shock, but Chris Koon was nonetheless happy after learning about his trade to Magnolia.
“It was crazy,” the rookie guard said. “I saw some rumors and stuff, but I just didn’t think of any of it because there’s so many rumors going around.
“But definitely, I was shocked. But I was happy with the situation that I was going into with Magnolia. But I’m past that now, so I’m ready to get started.”
Fans and pundits alike were just as surprised after news broke out last Tuesday that Titan Ultra had sent the 24-year-old from Ateneo to the Hotshots for Aris Dionisio in a straight-up swap, which was approved by the PBA on the same day.
The Giant Risers shipped the fourth overall pick of the Season 50 Draft five games into their maiden season — barely halfway through the Philippine Cup.
While some can’t seem to wrap their heads around that deal, Magnolia is certain that it has added a potentially “big key” to its defense.
“Chris will be a big key to our team because he can play multiple positions,” said Coach LA Tenorio. “Kung makikita niyo naman iniikot ko talaga mga players ko. So far, I’m still looking for proper rotations and combinations inside the floor.
“But most probably, talagang magiging malaking factor si Chris sa’min. I’m not talking about offensively, but defensively he’s gonna be a key factor because he can guard the guard position, he can guard a big guy,” he added.
(C) PBA Images
Koon made his Magnolia debut on Friday night. He finished with five points on 2-of-7 shooting and an assist in 20 minutes in their 83-80 escape against Phoenix at the Ynares Center here to go 4-1 in the season-opening conference.
“Fresh start. It feels good,” he said. “Teammates have helped me a lot. Coach LA, all the coaches. It’s great to be a part of it.
“Great culture.
“I’m really blessed to be able to come into a situation like this with the type of people that they have over here,” the Ateneo product added.
He knows that he could’ve done better scoring-wise, but Koon wasn’t sweating it that much. It’s his defense which Tenorio and the staff admire about him, after all, and he’s more than willing to provide what is asked from him.
“I think it’s kinda how I’ve always been seen in playing. Just playing my role, whatever the team needs. And I think for Magnolia it’s being an anchor on defense,” he said when asked how he sees himself fitting into the team.
“Being able to hold my own, hit open shots — which I only hit one tonight and missed a couple, which is fine… I always wanna be able to at least rely on my defense. That’s something that I really wanna emphasize,” he added.
“And just be solid for Coach LA and all the coaches and my teammates.”
#WATCH: “FRESH START”
Chris Koon says he is blessed to be a part of a young Magnolia team and to be under Coach LA 🏀#ReadMore 👉 https://t.co/z7UcvLruKK
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— Tiebreaker Times (@tiebreakertimes) October 31, 2025
