By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
NCAA’s Rookie Most Valuable Player (MVP) and Gilas Pilipinas young cadet Rhenz Abando showed the way for the Anyang KGC club after sweeping the Changwon LG Sakers, 84-67, last Sunday in the ongoing 2022-2023 Korean Basketball League (KBL) season.
Abando spearheaded Anyang KGC during their second encounter against the Sakers and dropped 17 big points built from a 7/12 shooting from the field.
Aside from his huge scoring night, Abando also stuffed the stat sheets after tallying seven rebounds, two blocks, one assist, and a steal.
Abando proved why he is the highest-paid Asian import in the KBL and was quick to leave his mark as one of the deadliest two-way players.
The former Aldin Ayo ward already showed flashes of brilliance during the preseason but topped his performances in the more important regular season games.
Anyang is off to a hot start in the young KBL season and will most likely enter the playoffs if they continue to rack up the wins.
Abando led Anyang’s second-quarter surge against Changwon after drilling a trey and converting an acrobatic layup that dazzled the crowd at the Changwon Gymnasium.
Former NBA big man Omari Spellman backstopped the young Filipino import after contributing 15 points and six rebounds in the contest.
Anyang is still the league’s top team with an impressive 10-3 win-loss record while Changwon fell to 5-6 after getting swept by Abando and the KGC club.
Meanwhile, RJ Abarrientos continued his efficient outing for the Ulsan Hyundai Mobis Phoebus after scoring eight points against SJ Belangel and the Daegu KOGAS squad, 85-72.
The crafty point guard nailed two deep three-pointers while also recording one rebound, an assist, and a steal.
