Desperate times call for desperate measures.
Last March, during the Governors’ Cup, Converge was forced to insert assistant coach Danny Ildefonso into the lineup due to the lack of big men. This time, the Fiberxers fielded assistant coach McJour Luib in the PBA On Tour due to the need for small men.
Converge suffered a close 102-97 loss to Blackwater on Wednesday at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City, but head tactician Aldin Ayo was satisfied with the play of his former Colegio de San Juan de Letran guard and long-time deputy.
“Actually, kulang talaga kami sa small men. Jeron Teng, Adrian Wong, Aljun Melecio are injured, and before this game, hindi namin alam kung makakapaglaro si Alec Stockton eh so ang matitira sana doon tatlong small men lang sana, although nandoon din si Jolo pero si Jolo hindi rin sigurado kaya we activated si McJour,” shared Ayo after the match.
“Decent naman yung nilaro ni Coach McJour eh medyo wala pa [lang] sa game shape.”
Luib played off the bench and was a positive factor, going plus-two in his eight minutes on the floor while also tallying three points, making his lone attempt of the game from deep, three assists, and a rebound but also committing two turnovers.
For his part, Luib admitted that he’s not in game shape, but when it comes to the mental part, he sure was ready.
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“Ayun, tinawagan ako na ready daw ba ako? Sabi ko siguro physically hindi pero mentally, makakasunod,” said Luib.
Luib was an integral part of Ayo’s 2015 champion squad in Letran and played one more year in Season 92 before transitioning to coaching.
He tried his luck in the 2016 PBA Draft but did not hear his name called in the ceremonies. Ayo then convinced his smart combo guard at Letran to join him as an assistant coach.
When the need for a guard arises in Converge, Ayo did not look far to decide whom to call during this emergency.
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“Si McJour because he’s still young, and actually, I think I owe it to him because after his last year doon sa college, I convinced him to quit playing and join my coaching staff, although he joined the draft, he was undrafted,” said Ayo as Luib entered the 2016 PBA Rookie Draft.
“Sa mga ganitong sitwasyon, titingin ka doon sa likod mo eh. Even last conference, walang wala kaming big man, napilitan kaming i-activate si Coach DI [Danny Ildefonso] eh. Ito walang wala kaming small men, so nandoon si Coach McJour.”
Luib is expected to continue playing for the Fiberxers in the near future as their small men continue to nurse injuries during this preseason.
Ayo even made a bold statement that if Luib continues to give him solid minutes, he might crack the lineup for the regular season.
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“Wala namang problema kay Coach McJour kasi I always tell him na in terms of conditioning, maaachieve naman yun eh, ang problema ni Coach McJour yung skills kasi kahit nung nasa college siya, medyo so-so yung shooting niya pero I always tell him na yung skills acquired yun eh and sa tagal niya ng ginagawa yung shooting-shooting lang,” said Ayo, who is the mentor of Luib both on and off the court.
“He knows all the plays, he’s a coach so yung decision-making nandoon sa kanya. Who knows? Baka umabot yan sa lineup.”
Luib then accepted the challenge and vowed to make the most of his chances playing in the PBA – something that faded away when he started coaching seven years ago.
After all, he bared that his unique name was formed from one of the greatest ever to play the game of basketball, Michael Jordan.
“Tingnan natin kung aabot pero hindi naman mawawala yung pagiging competitive natin. Susubukan. Susubukan natin,” said Luib.
“Basketball ano talaga nakadikit talaga siya sa akin eh kasi yung nanay ko pinangalan sa akin, McJour — Michael Jordan talaga yun pero ayaw lang niya gayahin so baka sa basketball siguro talaga ako.”
