New import Michael Qualls. PBA IMAGES
MANILA, Philippines—San Miguel Beer guard Dez Wells has already established himself as one of the best imports in the 2019 PBA Governors’ Cup along with TNT’s KJ McDaniels.
After Wednesday night, NorthPort may want to enter the conversation as well after unleashing its new reinforcement in Michael Qualls.
Qualls was nothing short of brilliant in his PBA debut, delivering a tireless effort of 40 points and 18 rebounds and more importantly, powering NorthPort past Wells and the mighty Beermen for a crucial win.
“I’m just glad we can get the win. That’s all I wanted to do, come out here and get a win. I was speaking with the owners, that’s what they wanted out of me, be aggressive and make it happen,” said Qualls, who still seemed fit to go another full quarter even after playing a frenetic pace for over 44 minutes.
The 25-year-old Qualls went toe-to-toe with Wells, who finished with 56 points, eight rebounds and nine assists.
Matching up against Wells is nothing new to Qualls as the two go a long way back.
“He had it going especially down the stretch. He was getting a lot of free throws as well, he always was able to do that. I’ve played against him my whole life, that’s one of my close friends,” he said.
“We played in Team USA, Kevin Durant, LeBron James skills academy through high school. We both played for a split second with the Thunder in the NBA and also on the G-League. I know him a lot. I knew that he was out here already, when my agent told me I was gonna be here in the Philippines, he was one of the first people that I reached out to.”
Qualls vowed he still has more to show.
“I think I’ll be better next game, it just feels good to get my feet in the water or whatever, learn how PBA basketball really is so I can adapt better for next game.”