Mohammad Jamshidi loses luggage, but sets aside distraction to help Meralco get past Phoenix

HE lost his bag, but not his game.

Despite having off-court troubles – losing his luggage when he arrived on the eve of his first game in the PBA - Mohammad Jamshidi kept his composure on the court to help Meralco in its 108-103 win over Phoenix in the Governors’ Cup on Friday night.

“I’m waiting for them (airlines) to bring it,” Jamshisi said after the game. “It’s one big bag.”

The Bolts’ Asian import also didn’t have a chance to practice with his team and had to learn some of Meralco’s plays on the makeshift court along the Smart-Araneta Coliseum driveway before the game started.

And that was enough for the standout Iranian wingman, who turns 25 on July 30, to contribute nine points, three assists, and one board against three turnovers in 14 minutes off the bench.

“I was a little concerned before the game because we didn’t have a chance to practice with him, so we tried to keep it as simple as possible for him,” Bolts coach Norman Black said. “Luckily, we were able to get out with a win and he was able to contribute.”

The 6-foot-3 Jamshisi gets to adapt better to the Bolts system with a full practice on Saturday, a day before they face Alaska.

“Tomorrow, we’ll try to teach him a little bit on our offense and defense, so we might have a better chance of him executing well against Alaska,” Black said. -spin.ph