Moultrie sees PBA as "a great atmosphere"

Arnett Moultrie is already having fun in the Philippines. PBA Media Bureau

By Ivan Saldajeno

QUEZON CITY--Arnett Moultrie is already embracing the PBA feels in his first two games here.

"The PBA is good. It's a great league. It has a great atmosphere, and I'm liking what I'm seeing so far," Moultrie told Dugout Philippines on Friday night.

He is also grateful to NLEX for signing him on for the ongoing Commissioner's Cup.

"I'm having a lot of fun playing with NLEX. I'm very grateful for the opportunity to come here and play in the PBA," continued Moultrie, the Road Warriors' original pick as their mid-season conference import but had to find a stand-in in their opener against the Columbian Dyip due to his commitments in Bahrain.

Despite Adrian Forbes putting up impressive numbers, Coach Yeng Guiao quickly went for the switch when Moultrie expressed his availability.

"[Adrian is] a great inside player, but... I don't think he has the confidence to take perimeter shots.... Alam niyo naman na may bias ako for big men who can step out and take jumpshots, whether it's a medium-range jumpshot or a three-point shot," Coach Yeng Guiao explained his decision to replace Forbes with Moultrie.

Moultrie, meanwhile, quickly found a 1-2 punch partner in rookie Kiefer Ravena as both players top NLEX in scoring in the past two games.

"I like Kiefer. He's a great point guard. I understand why he's the number two pick overall. He's a smart player," Moultrie continued. "We need him to play like this every game if we want to have a chance to win."

However, he hopes that the other players will step up so that they can get out of a 0-3 hole.

"We have to do a better job of executing our game plan.... We need to get back to playing organized, great team basketball--NLEX Warrior basketball," Moultrie continued. "It's a team effort."

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