In the ongoing 2018 Governors’ Cup, two foreign reinforcements have yet to experience how it’s like winning a PBA game: NorthPort Batang Pier’s scoring ace Rashad Woods and the do-it-all Akeem Wright of the Columbian Dyip.
On Wednesday evening, Wright’s miseries extended. His Dyip lost to the Magnolia Hotshots by a huge margin, 95-113, sending their card to 0-7. And that means that they have been virtually eliminated from playoff contention.
“We’re disappointed,” rued Wright of their seven-game skid. “We know early on that we had a lot of games that we should’ve won but we let it slip away. Now we got some tough teams.
“You know, we’re playing good in spurts but not for a full game. We just need to put it together for a full game.”
Wright admitted that being in this position is hard for him, too, especially as an import. He has been carrying the Dyip with norms of 24.1 points, 11.8 boards, and 6.0 dimes, but his efforts have yet to lead to a win.
“It’s tough,” the 34-year-old said. “We’re not as strong as other teams. A lot of guys, they put locals on me and they make me… they put the ball out of my hands, they force me to do a lot of things that I don’t want to do. It’s tough.
“But I just got to try and play through it.“
That is why his hunger for a win has reached extreme levels. And he’s determined to see victory this coming Saturday, as his Columbian will take on the Batang Pier – who carry a 0-6 win-loss record – at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City.
“We like our chances,” the Philadelphia-born Wright said. “Just like us they haven’t won yet, so it’s gonna be a dogfight. Expect both teams to come out and try to get a win.
“Nobody wants to continue to be winless.”
