Former Kia imports Hamady N’Diaye (left) and PJ Ramos. PBA IMAGES
After missing the quarterfinals of the 2015-2016 PBA Philippine Cup, Mahindra will once again have the luxury of recruiting an import without any height limit in the Commissioner’s Cup.
But assistant coach Chito Victolero said that the team hasn’t decided on which direction to go to as the Enforcers hope to sustain their promising run to the Commissioner’s Cup.
“We still have to talk among the coaching staff and management on who is best fit with our materials right now,” he said.
Victolero also said that the past imports are still being considered for a comeback in the second conference.
“Hamady N’Diaye and PJ Ramos are on our radar, but we’ll rest first and think about the preparation for the next conference,” he said.
Ramos, the Puerto Rican giant, held fort for the then-Kia Carnival in the 2015 Commissioner’s Cup, topping the tournament in scoring with 35.9 points, and rebounding with 21.2 boards, alongside 3.0 assists, and 1.2 blocks.
Meanwhile, the Senegalese N’Diaye proved to be a defensive behemoth as he averaged 17.6 markers, 15.2 rebounds, and a league-leading 5.3 blocks in the 2015 Governors’ Cup.
If they find a right fit of an import, it could be a game-changer for the Enforcers after they proved to the league that they were no longer the pushovers.
Just the last conference, Mahindra drew solid contributions from the holdovers like LA Revilla, Karl Dehesa, Mark Yee, and Kyle Pascual and got a huge boost from the entry of veterans Aldrech Ramos and Niño Canaleta, and rookies Bradwyn Guinto and Mike DiGregorio.