MANILA, Philippines – It was a dime-dropping delight kind of night for Chris Banchero in Alaska’s 103-101 win over Blackwater in the 2019 PBA Philippine Cup on Wednesday, February 13. 

Banchero issued a career-high 16 assists to go with 11 points and 2 steals as the Aces booked their second straight triumph despite still missing starters Vic Manuel, JVee Casio, Kevin Racal and Simon Enciso to injuries. 

Just how impresive was Banchero’s feat? The rest of his teammates combined for 11 dimes, with no one having more than 3. The Elite had 22. 

And all of the gutsy playmaker’s assists were important, particularly his last for a Sonny Thoss jump shot that gave Alaska a 103-100 lead and essentially, the win. 

“It’s incredible. I didn’t realize that [he dished out that many assists],” said Aces head coach Alex Compton.

“One of the things I’ve talked about with Chris prior to last season was he’s got an ability to get PBA players open shots that a lot of guys don’t have.”

“It’s not purely unique, it’s not completely different than anybody else in the league, but he’s got one of those upper echelon abilities to create for other people.” 

The PBA’s top assist man last season with an average of 5.8 per outing, Banchero issued only a combined 6 dimes in his first two games this conference. 

But his assist average has quickly skyrocketed to 7.3 per game, which ranks second only to San Miguel’s Chris Ross (8.3). 

“Sixteen assists is phenomenal,” Compton added. “I’ll have to buy him a steak dinner for that.” – Rappler.com