Converge not closing doors on Hopson return


At a glance

  • The FiberXers' new import Jalen Jones already made a debut in their 105-97 win over the Meralco Bolts although they only relegated Hopson to the injury/reserve list, keeping him eligible to return to the lineup.


Converge is not entirely closing its doors on the possibility of first import choice Scotty Hopson returning to the team especially that the FiberXers are now also closing in on a potential playoff run.

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The FiberXers' new import Jalen Jones already made a debut in their 105-97 win over the Meralco Bolts although they only relegated Hopson to the injury/reserve list, keeping him eligible to return to the lineup.

Hopson is nursing a right quad strain injury but not after powering Converge to a 4-4 slate including two games where he emerged as the biggest hero after drilling game-winning four pointers .

"Right now Scotty is on the injured/reserve list and he's day-to-day for us. We want to keep him there as an option, so we will continue to evaluate yung prognosis niya,” said Converge head coach Franco Atienza after the victory that put them in prime position to advance to the next round.

To be fair, Jones didn’t play exactly bad with 32 points in his debut although there’s a lot of room for improvement for him, particularly on his efficiency after needing 34 shots to reach his output.

Still, Atienza gave Jones a fair grade of A+ considering that he went up against three-time PBA best import awardee Allen Durham of the Bolts.

Having to pick between the two quality imports is certainly a good problem to have for the FiberXers, according to Atienza.

“Of course, Scotty is a different specimen and ito naman si Jalen brought a different aspect of the game. But we are very happy. Hopefully, he (Jones) sustains it,” he said