Ward sending right signal to Mobiline

With the PBA Commissioner’s Cup barely a week old, Mobiline officials feel something special is in store for the team after all the troubles they faced before eventually signing up Jerod Ward.

As soon as Ward played his first game with the team Wednesday versus Barangay Ginebra, the Mobiline coaching staff was convinced they’ve got something different and special in the Jackson, Mississippi native.

They’re now even thanking Rossel Ellis for abandoning the team, giving them the chance to enlist Ward.

Mobiline actually set its sights on Ward right from the start but couldn’t get a deal with the former Michigan Wolverine in their initial talk as the player was hoping to get a call from the NBA. With Ward unavailable, the Piltel franchise enlisted Ellis, who flew over here only to abandon the team without a word.

Does Ellis’ flying the coop a blessing in disguise for Mobiline? Coach Louie Alas believes so.

There were words that Ward was offered to at least two other teams here but was turned down with the player having undergone surgeries on both knees.

That could also be the reason why no NBA team has yet to take him in despite an impressive stint with the Wolverines where he made a reputation as a gunslinger.

Ward, whose parents are both Baptist ministers, started for every game during his senior season, scoring in double figures in 27 games. He was named the Big Ten Conference Senior of the Year then.

Despite his amazing recovery from two knee surgeries, he wasn’t selected in the 1998 NBA Draft (where Sta. Lucia’s Ansu Sesay was incidentally picked by the Dallas Mavericks first in the second round or 30th overall). Instead, he was picked by the Grand Rapid Hoops in the fourth round (28th pick overall) in the CBA Draft.

Ward made it to the San Antonio Spurs and Golden State Warriors camps the last two years but never made it past the pre-season.

Campaigning in the American Basketball Association this season, Ward made waves with the Los Angeles Stars, averaging a third league-best 20.8 points while also norming 6.6 rebounds, 1.1 assists and a high 46.5 percent shooting from the field.

The Naismith High School Player of the Year in 1994, Ward easily lived up to his fearsome reputation in his first game in the local pro league Wednesday, erupting for 11 triples and a total of 61 points to lead the Phone Pals to a 93-87 win over the Kings.

His triples were the most by any player since Swift import Jay Edwards fired 13 on Oct. 14, 1994 and his total output was the highest since San Miguel reinforcement Kenny Travis tallied 64 in November of the same year. He also went three points short of matching the largest score – Billy Ray Bates’ 64 with Crispa – made by an import in his debut in the league.

Ward is confident he can strut his stuffs in the PBA. Casually asked by PBA finance officer Rickie Palou if he thinks he can score 50 points here during the height measurement, Ward answered: "I’ll score 70."