By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
Filipino basketball superstar Rhenz Abando only needed two games to show his true potential in the Korean Basketball League (KBL).
After a sub-par performance during his debut game for the Anyang KGC basketball club which resulted in a loss to the Changwon LG Sakers, the high-flying Abando bounced back and led his team to a 90-73 win over Sangmu.
Abando was all over the place and put up a commanding stat line of 19 points, three rebounds, one assist, one steal, and one block in just 17 minutes of playing time.
It was an efficient outing for the NCAA Season 97 Most Valuable Player (MVP) after missing just three shots and ended the game on 5/8 shooting from the field.
During his first game against Changwon, Abando struggled to buy a basket from the long-range and only scored a deuce after a highlight slam dunk.
Abando then chose his spots against Sangmu and buried most of his wide-open attempts from the three-point territory that helped Anyang blow the game wide-open midway in the third frame.
Aside from his offensive clinic, Abando also showed his defensive impact and was a key factor in disrupting the shot attempts of Sangmu’s wing players.
Abando was also quick in providing help during several baseline situations that forced Sangmu to a couple of 24-second shot clock violations and last-second heaves.
Former NBA power forward Omari Spellman backstopped Abando with 22 points, six rebounds, and five assists while Moon Seonggon chipped in 11 points.
Despite the win against Sangmu, Abando and the Anyang squad failed to qualify in the playoffs of the KBL preseason tournament due to their blowout loss against Changwon.
Meanwhile, Justin Gutang and RJ Abarrientos, Abando’s co-Filipino Asian imports in the KBL, will face off in the semifinals.
