Simon Enciso ‘super excited’ to don SMB jersey

California native Simon Enciso has always been in the fast lane of moving from one ball club to another, collecting six different jerseys that allowed him to work with familiar and foreign faces.

Earlier this week, San Miguel Beermen eyed for the Terrafirma Dyip standout in exchange for Alex Cabagnot as they continued to demolish the fabled ‘Death 5’. SMB, the winningest team in PBA history, is one of the teams in PBA that are fighting an uphill battle to content for a title after going down in flames to re-claim their crown in the recent Philippine Cup.

The 5-foot-11 playmaker shrieked with extreme ecstasy after realizing that he’s now with the Beermen, his seventh team in his PBA career after he was taken as the 17th overall pick in the 2015 PBA Rookie Draft.

He’s delighted to see the league adjust to the globalization of the sport – as more Filipino-foreign players will be given the chance to play in the PBA next season as the league increased the number of allowed per team, from five to seven.

Ready to “work with great players”

“I’m super excited,” Enciso said in an interview with Spin.ph.

“They have a winning culture here and I’d like to immerse in that environment while trying the best I can do to help win the chip,” said the tenacious guard, pointing out how ready he is to ‘work with all these great players.’

Blackwater acquired Enciso from TNT Tropang Giga last March in a three-team trade involving NLEX Road Warriors. On September 28, the Bossing let go of Enciso for a trade where he was sent to Terrafirma in exchange for Rashawn McCarthy.

“I practiced with Dyip for two weeks and was told that they were not looking to move anybody,” he bared.

According to league sources, the deal involving Enciso had been on the table for weeks now. It was expected to have former No. 1 draft pick Roosevelt Adams in exchange for the ‘Crunchman’ Alex Cabagnot.

However, San Miguel jumped the gun that paved the way for Enciso-Cabagnot trade.

For the Fil-Am gunner who had a remarkable stint with the Bossing, averaging 13.7 points, 4.1 assists, and 2.8 rebounds in 11 games, it was like he’s on cloud nine to suit up for a powerhouse team in the upcoming conference.

Rebuilding the core

As Austria managed to orchestrate a team revamp, SMB needed to have a new player, leaning in the direction of acquiring another one after Arwind Santos was traded a week ago – and Enciso was on top of the list.

The 30-year old cager is capable of bringing firepower to the Beermen backcourt, as he will suit up with a formidable shooter like Terrence Romeo and defensive doberman Chris Ross, plus his former D-League teammate, 6-foot-8 Mo Tautuaa.

Enciso, always a difference maker whichever team he suits up, said that change is not just good, but is a great one.