Player of the Week: Agovida rewards Mahindra’s trust
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Keith Agovida repaid the trust given to him by Mahindra assistant coach Chris Gavina with a breakout performance against powerhouse Alaska last Wednesday in the PBA Governors Cup.
Challenged by Gavina to step up in the absence of injured LA Revilla, the 6-foot-2 Agovida scattered all 11 of his points in the second half, helping the Enforcer overhaul a 16-point deficit en route to a thrilling 101-95 win over the Aces.
The former Arellano University gunner said the trade during the conference break from Blackwater to Mahindra challenged him to work on his game further in the hope of earning his spot at the Enforcer.
“Focused lang ako (during the conference break) kasi nung na-trade ako ng Blackwater, sabi ko sa sarili ko, kailangan ko i-improve yung sarili ko para sa susunod na games, mailabas ko ang laro ko,” the 26-year-old Agovida said.
Agovida’s scintillating effort in just 16 minutes of action earned him a first-ever Accel-PBA Press Corps Player of the Week for the period of Aug. 1-7, beating established PBA stars led by TNT’s Jayson Castro, Mahindra teammates KG Canaleta and Aldrech Ramos as well as Katropa rookie Troy Rosario.
The win stretched Mahindra’s franchise-best start to 4-0, tying tournament favorite TNT on top of the standings.
The Enforcer will shoot for a fifth straight win on Friday when they face Phoenix Fuel Masters.
Agovida is best remembered for dropping 82 points for the JRU Light Bombers during the 2008 NCAA junior basketball tournament. RD
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