ANTIPOLO – Tyler Bey arriving months before the PBA Season 48 Commissioner’s Cup has surely done wonders for Magnolia with how they have been playing thus far.
The Hotshots on Sunday night took down Phoenix Super LPG for their second win in as many games, and the 25-year-old credited the chemistry that they have built as a key factor why they have now gained a share of the early lead.
“Chemistry was definitely built from the jump,” he told reporters moments after the 107-92 victory at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.
Bey has been with the team since September, flying in earlier than some of the other imports for the season-opening conference.
The opening was pushed back from October 16 to November 5 but that enabled him and Magnolia to be as familiar as they can be with one another, to the point that he has now referred to his teammates as brothers.
(C) PBA Images
“I get along with these guys. It’s been a while since I’ve been with a group of guys where I can just get along with them like they’re my brothers, like they’re family, ever since college,” said the Colorado Buffaloes product.
“The chemistry is there, we could talk to each other better than anybody I’ve ever been,” added Bey, who had two-way stints with the Dallas Mavericks and the Houston Rockets in the NBA before taking his talents to Israel in 2022.
That chemistry has reflected on the hardwood, especially for Bey. In their successful debut against TNT, the 6-foot-7 forward finished with 31 points and 20 rebounds as he helped his side stave off their rivals.
He then followed it up with another solid outing versus the Fuel Masters, coming through with 32 points, 16 rebounds, and three steals in the romp.
“I love it,” he said of their solid start so far. “It’s physical … for me, I’m just taking game by game. Taking it day by day, getting better every day.”
Bey knows that defenses would go harder against him as the conference progresses given his impressive play, but that won’t change his and the entire team’s approach in their goal of being as successful as they can be.
“I just want to keep winning. Take it game by game,” the Las Vegas native said. “I’m just enjoying every day I’m here in the Philippines, cherishing it every time we’re on the court. It’s just a blessing to be here, honestly.”
