George King, Jr. made impact right away for Blackwater, which finally tallied win No. 1 in the PBA Season 49 Governors’ Cup.
Blackwater was supposed to bring in Cam Clark to replace first import Ricky Ledo in hopes of salvaging a PBA Season 49 Governors’ Cup campaign that was on a tailspin.
Things eventually did not work out with Clark, that was why the Bossing went to Plan C.
That turned out to be a blessing in disguise for the squad, which ended up with George King, Jr.
No jet lag for George King after quickly showing up for Blackwater despite arriving just last Wednesday, Aug. 28. | Photo (c) RM Chua
King impressed right in his first game, unleashing 33 points on 12-for-23 shooting from the field including 2-for-6 from the four-point line to gift Blackwater its first win at the expense of no less than Brgy. Ginebra San Miguel, 95-88, on Friday, Aug. 30.
He also had 19 rebounds.
[WATCH: George King, the winning king in Blackwater's duel against Ginebra | PBA Highlights]
The second round pick by the Phoenix Suns in the 2018 NBA Draft bared he did not hesitate to hop on a plane going to Manila when offered the PBA gig.
“When he (coach Jeff Cariaso) called me, I was ready to go. [I was] sitting around healthy. And I heard really good things about the Philippines and the PBA, [so] when the opportunity came, it was really simple, I jumped at it,” King said after the match at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
The 30-year-old reinforcement arrived on Wednesday, Aug. 28, then joined the team in practice.
Right away, King felt he is right where he belongs.
“The offense that we have, I like it a lot. I’m very familiar with it. I’ve run similar stuff in the past so I'm familiar with that. It really just fits like a glove,” he said.
“[Cariaso] made it really simple for me. which took a lot of pressure from me as well. I think it’s a glove fit.”
No one was happier than Cariaso.
“I just want to say that things happen for a reason. Sometimes things don’t work out with other people, and it becomes a blessing for someone else,” Cariaso said.
“The person that’s supposed to be meant for us will be the guy who’s here. Right now, so far, so good.”
While Cariaso is happy with what he described a “blessing in disguise,” he is also making sure to keep the Bossing focused on the task at hand, which is to win more games.
“Don’t get me wrong, we’re really happy,” he said.
“But we know with six games remaining, our backs are still against the wall, and we've got to make things happen. It starts again by being ready and focused on Tuesday.”
Blackwater will next face a listless Phoenix on Sept. 3 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.