PBA: Call them FiberXers and they are ready to compete

Converge FiberXers PBA

Join FiberXers during their official launch as new members of PBA. PBA picture

MANILA, Philippines-Converse officially departed from its squad on Tuesday, inheriting a bevy of staff from the Alaska franchise that broke during the targeting of the new PBA season as FiberXers.

But Chito Salud, who will take over as governor and manager, knows that Aces’ staff, culture and phantom will not be the only thing the new ball club will inherit in the league’s 47th season.

“If you study the history of the existing franchises that the existing (PBA) franchises acquired, it could take up to 10 years. It could take up to two years, “he told reporters.

“What I’m trying to say here is we won’t stop until we get there,” he added.

PBA history was not exactly favorable to newcomers. The last time the league welcomed a new team was in 2014, and none of these clubs – Blackwater, Terafirma and NLX – competed for the title.

Blackwater and Terafirma, in fact, have yet to play in the semifinals.

The last team that immediately showed that it belonged to the Progressive Pro League was the Red Bull. Energizers, after their first season, named themselves Thunder and won the 2001 Commissioner’s Cup at Young Guiao’s stewardship.

Saloud told Inquirer that the Red Bull blueprint would serve as “an example” for Convergence. However, he quickly noticed that much of FiberX’s success depended on how it navigated the first few seasons at PBA.

“As I said, it will be a constant re-sequence,” he said. “No party is inactive. No party is stagnant. We have to evolve. What we want now is stability and what we can expect from the coaching staff. The team performed decently in the last conference and we at least hope so. Add a few more pieces to our draft pick and some trades, who knows? “

Converse Release at Alaska Coaching directed by Jeffrey Carriasso. The team presented a split of holdovers during the launch, including former Aces Conston Jeroen Teng, Gilas Drafty Alin Bulanadi, Rocky Ben Adams, Jesse Marcelino and older men Ray Pablico and Brian Foundo. It is noteworthy that only Teng, Adams and Filipino-American guard Taylor Brown had live contracts to inherit FiberXers.

“We have had two meetings, so now we have a plan for how we want to build our team. We have the luxury of options because — you all know it, however, with the exception of those three players, everyone is coming to an end. We have options there. We are excited about our draft pick. And that’s the thing I’ve been waiting for – one of those picks is from Vic Manuel Trade, so we’ll see who we get from him, “Carriasso said.

“Is there a need to change and change? Of course. We want to be better, we want to be competitive, so we look forward to a new crop of players and even coaches for this new team, “he continued.

As the case may be, Converse has No. 3 and No. 4 picks in the upcoming Rookie Draft. There will also be a third-round pick in the second round of FiberXers.

“As Governor Chitto has said, rebuilding and tackling some of the team’s shortcomings will enable the team (with PBA’s level of competition) to catch up,” team owner Dennis Anthony told Inquirer.

“I’m very confident that in support of the management, the people behind it, like coaches and cheaters who are no longer new to the league – things that will be exciting for our PBA fans,” he said.

“With all these tactics, I will let the technical people – who probably know better than me – decide. I give them 100 percent free hand and support. My role here after all, “Wei said.

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