Maverick Ahanmisi

Maverick Ahanmisi

No. 13 – Rain or Shine Elasto Painters
Position	Point guard / Shooting guard
League	PBA
Personal information
Born	July 17, 1991 Los Angeles, California
Nationality	Filipino / Nigerian
Listed height	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Listed weight	190 lb (86 kg)
Career information
High school	Stoneridge Prep (Simi Valley, California) Golden Valley High School (Santa Clarita, California)
College	Minnesota (2010–2014)
PBA draft	2015 Round: 1 / Pick: 3rd overall
Selected by the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters
Playing career	2014–present
Career history
2014–2015	Cafe France Bakers (PBA D-League)
2015–present	Rain or Shine Elasto Painters
Career highlights and awards
1× NIT Tournament champion (2014) 1× PBA D-League champion (2015 Foundation)

Maverick Frankera Ahanmisi (born July 17, 1991) is an American born Filipino-Nigerian^[1] professional basketball player who plays for the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters in the Philippine Basketball Association.

High school career

Ahanmisi spent a year at Stoneridge Prep in Simi Valley, California, but he graduated from Golden Valley High School in Santa Clarita, California in 2009. As a senior, he averaged 20.2 points per game and finished his career as all-time leading scorer and three-point shooter at GVHS. He played AAU basketball at Branch West Basketball Academy under the tutelage of Bob Gottlieb.^[2] In 2010, he signed a letter of intent to play for the University of Minnesota.^[3]

College career

Ahanmisi played college ball at University of Minnesota, an NCAA Division I school, from 2010-2014, mostly in a reserve role. He's a known sparkplug off the bench and usually leads the team's second unit.^[4] He helped the Golden Gophers win the National Invitational Tournament title in 2014.^[5][6] The Gophers are coached by Richard Pitino, son of coach Rick Pitino of Louisville.

In his four years in Minnesota, he averaged 2.8 points, 1 rebound, and 38% field goal average.

Professional career

Café France Bakers (PBA D-League)

In 2014, Ahanmisi decided to leave the United States after college and take his basketball career with him in the Philippines, by playing for the Cafe France Bakers in the PBA Developmental League. In his career debut in the Philippines, he made his presence felt right away, scoring 10 points in an 18-0 run in the first quarter that keyed in a win for Cafe France.^[7] In the 2015 PBA D-League Foundation Cup eliminations, he led the team in scoring, averaging 13.9 points per game, while also contributing 6.8 rebounds and 4.0 assists per outing. He helped guide Café France to its first ever PBA-D-League championship by ruling the Foundation Cup.^[8]

Rain or Shine Elasto Painters

According to the list released by the PBA on August 10, 2015, Ahanmisi was one of the sixteen Fil-Foreigners who applied for the 2015 PBA draft.^[9] He was drafted as a 3rd overall pick by the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters in the 2015 PBA draft. He signed a two-year maximum rookie deal with the Elasto Painters.^[10] In his first breakout game as a pro against Mahindra on October 25, 2015, he scored 11 of his 14 points in the fourth quarter alone, while leading the Elasto Painters to a 2-0 start in the 2015-16 All-Filipino Cup.^[11]

During the duration of the All-Filipino conference, he averaged 8.3 points, 4 rebounds, and 2.3 assists a game, while filling in the void of the injured Paul Lee for the majority of the tournament.^[12][13]

Personal life

Ahanmisi comes from a family of diverse ethnicities. His father, Victor Ahanmisi is a Nigerian,^[14] while his mother Marissa (née Frankera) is a Filipina, who hails from Alcala, Pangasinan.^[15] He has two siblings, Jerrick and Mylenne. He graduated with a degree of Human Resources Development.

His younger brother Jerrick is eyeing to play college ball in the Philippines, with Ateneo, La Salle, and National University as possible schools, but he was recruited by Adamson Falcons to be part of its pool.^[16]

References

1. Joble, Rey (September 24, 2015). "‘PULIDO YUNG LARO NIYA’ - Yeng Guiao believes Rain or Shine rookie Maverick Ahanmisi can immediately make a splash". InterAksyon.com. Retrieved October 18, 2015.
2. Fuller, Marcus. "Gophers add depth at point guard by signing Maverick Ahanmisi of California". www.twincities.com. Twin Cities Pioneer Press. Retrieved July 3, 2015.
3. "MAVERICK AHANMISI". Sports.Yahoo.com. Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved July 3, 2015.
4. "Maverick Ahanmisi Bio". University of Minnesota Official Athletic Site. Retrieved July 3, 2015.
5. "2014 NIT Tournament Championship: Gophers Win The NIT HIGHLIGHTS". TheDailyGopher.com. The Daily Gopher. Retrieved July 3, 2015.
6. Terrado, Reuben. "Fil-Am Maverick Ahanmisi looking to follow footsteps of fellow Big Ten alumnus Stanley Pringle". Spin.ph. Spin.ph. Retrieved July 3, 2015.
7. Giongco, Mark. "Is Fil-Am Maverick Ahanmisi the next Stanley Pringle?". Inquirer.net. Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved July 3, 2015.
8. Terrado, Reuben. "Maverick Ahanmisi can be the steal of PBA draft, says Cafe France coach Egay Macaraya". Spin.ph. Spin.ph. Retrieved July 3, 2015.
9. "Full list of 2015 PBA Rookie Draft applicants". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved August 11, 2015.
10. Ramos, Gerry. "Rain or Shine all in on Maverick Ahanmisi, signs rookie to two-year, max deal". Spin.ph. Retrieved August 28, 2015.
11. Leongson, Randolph. "Rain or Shine improves to 2-0, routs Mahindra". Inquirer.net. Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved October 30, 2015.
12. Ganglani, Naveen. "Jerrick Ahanmisi, brother of Rain or Shine's Maverick, wants to play college ball in Philippines". Rappler. Rappler. Retrieved 19 January 2016.
13. Joble, Rey. "Rain or Shine’s Mav Ahanmisi says Paul Lee’s absence tough to fill | InterAksyon.com | Sports5". InterAksyon.com. InterAksyon.com. Retrieved 19 January 2016.
14. Osborne, Cary. "An evolution: Golden Valley's Maverick Ahanmisi". SignalSCVSports.com. Retrieved July 3, 2015.
15. Bracher, Jane. "Maverick Ahanmisi is following the path of Stanley Pringle". Rappler.com. Rappler. Retrieved July 3, 2015.
16. Terrado, Reuben. "Fil-Am recruits led by Jerrick Ahanmisi, Bruce Edwards bolster Adamson lineup". Sports Interactive Network Philippines. SPIN.ph. Retrieved 6 April 2016.