There were plenty of surprised faces when the Alaska Aces made MJ Ayaay the ninth overall pick in the 2018 PBA Draft.
But for Alex Compton, it was a no-brainer.
“He’s a really tough kid and I think he’s an overachiever, a winner, and a leader,” gushed Compton.
“He was coached by coach Topex [Robinson], who runs the same system to us.”
During his five-year stay with Lyceum, the 6-foot-1 utility forward has proven that he can go above and beyond for his team. He is a tenacious rebounder and a cunning defender, who has impressed the Aces’ brass.
Upon hearing this, Ayaay felt honored by the high regard Compton has of him.
“Hindi ko nga rin ine-expect eh. Basta ako, relax lang ako doon sa likod tapos nagdadasal lang ako, kung ano ang ibigay ni God, grab ko na lang, pag-trabahuhan ko na lang,” said the native of Quezon Province.
“Bibigay ko yung positive mindset ko. Dodoblehin ko pa ang effort ko, especially on defense.”
When he met his new head coach for the first time, Ayaay disclosed that Compton said,
“Sabi niya sa akin ni Coach Compton, ‘Welcome, and good luck ,and I love you.'”
And Compton can’t wait to begin working with Ayaay.
“Topex has been an assistant to me before ,and we share a lot of our basketball and leadership philosophy so I think the transition for MJ will be a fairly smooth one. It won’t be a radical departure than what he’s used to in college.”
