By Diego de la Paz
QUEZON CITY, Philippines (Eagle News) – Mahindra stayed perfect in its young PBA Commissioner’s Cup campaign after pulling out a 108-98 win on Wednesday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
James White, inspired by the marching orders of interim Head Coach Chris Gavina, asserted his might against the shorthanded Batang Pier and scored 28 points with 20 rebounds and four blocked shots.
Aldrech Ramos added 16 points on a near-perfect 6-for-8 shooting from the field, while LA Revilla and ex-Globalport forward Paolo Taha added 11 and 10, respectively.
Mahindra now shares first place with idle Meralco, both sporting 2-0 (won-lost) records. This is the first time that the Columbia Autocar-owned franchise won its first two games in six conferences.
Dominique Sutton scored 34 points with 13 rebounds and four steals, while Stanley Pringle flew the flag for the depleted backcourt with 19 points for the Batang Pier.
Globalport (0-2) – sporting a thin lineup without centers Jay Washington and Rico Maierhofer, and guards Joseph Yeo and Terrence Romeo – has yet to win its first game under interim coach Johnedel Cardel.
Gavina was quick to praise his wards, saying that it was their concerted effort – from the players to the coaching staff – that brought the entire team to a hot start to the Governors’ Cup.
“I wanna deflect all the effort to my guys. We withstood a very strong Globalport team,” said Gavina. “We played with great heart today. Our culture is just to stay humble stay hungry be consistent in what we do.”
Among those players that stood out was his prized import James White, whose potential at such a young age has yet to be realized.
“James White is just scratching the bottom of the barrel right now. He doesn’t realize how good he can be. He’s just starting to realize he can do it,” he added.