Hotshots intend to sign and keep Jerrick Ahanmisi, says Chito Victolero

Magnolia has no intentions of parting with its first round pick in the recently concluded PBA Season 46 Rookie Draft.

The Hotshots, who many believe would go for a big man in the opening round, raised a good number of eyebrows when they went for guard Jerrick Ahanmisi with the 10th overall pick to kick-off their campaign in the annual league exercise.

Despite the team already teeming with guards, head coach Chito Victolero believes that the 6-foot-1 Ahanmisi would still come in handy for the 2014 PBA Grand Slam champions.

“Isa-sign namin siya. Kung ikaw, iti-trade mo ba siya?” replied Victolero when asked if the sharp-shooter out of Adamson University will be used as a trade bait. “Magagamit namin siya. I think he will help the team.”

The 45-year old Victolero, however, bared that the team was really looking to go big but switched to ‘Plan B’ when the player they wanted to draft was already taken when their turn came.

Aside from that, the player they originally had in mind was one of the seven Fil-foreigners who was removed from the final list of applicants due to failure to submit the required documents.

“Ilan lang naman yung mga big men na nawala. Yung isa sa mga nandun ang tinitingnan namin,” said Victoloro. “Nanduon din yung target namin na big man,”

With their primary target gone, the Hotshots shifted their focus to the best player available.

“We feel na kapag hindi umabot dun sa big man na gusto namin, ang naisip ko is pumunta doon sa best available talent na kailangan namin, and we feel that would be Ahanmisi,” explained the former PBA player.

“Nakita na naman namin siya. And especially for me, he’s the best shooter among doon sa nagpa-draft.” he added.