WITH a souped-up line-up and an impressive run in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup, the Converge FiberXers have revived the interest of the long-dormant fan base of the Alaska Aces – the legendary precursor of the youthful franchise.

The FiberXers, with their commitment to winning and recent run of good form, have lured new fans as they carries on the fight of Alaska and other independent teams in their bid to break the stranglehold of teams in the SMC and MVP blocs.

Long-time Alaska fan Rey Tan, who supported the fabled Alaska team fervently since 1985, bared how he stopped watching the PBA around two years after Alaska won its last championship in the league in the 2013 Commissioner’s Cup.

“Hindi na ako nanunuod ng PBA since mag-struggle ang Alaska to keep up with how other teams are building up. Hindi na balanced eh,” said Tan, who was first interviewed by SPIN.ph shortly after Alaska coach Tim Cone was moved to Ginebra from sister-team Star Hotshots.

But the recent surge in the campaign of Converge, the company that bought the Alaska franchise in 2022, has led Tan to sit up and take notice.

“I’ve moved to other more fruitful endeavors, pero kung mag-finals (ang Converge), and prove they have breached the high wall barrier between the elite sister teams of SMC and MVP and the independent teams – I might go back to watching the games,” said the 65-year old marketing professional by day and online English professor by night.

“The resurgence of independent teams like Converge and Rain or Shine will be good for the league,” he said.

Tan believes that the good performances of teams outside the SMC and MVP groups will help arrest the dwindling in-venue audience and rekindle interest in the PBA.

“It will bring back the crowd, if may semblance ng balance sa liga maraming manunuod. Unlike dati na Ginebra, San Miguel o TNT lang ang laging nasa championship, halinhinan sila. Pangit ang ganun eh,” he said.

“Dati kasi dalawa lang talaga naglalaban, SMC versus MVP group. Ngayon may tulad na ng Converge at Rain or Shine, it will save the league. Independent teams can help bring back balance and hopefully the crowd,” he added.

Asked how the rise of a Converge team backed by billionaire businessmen/sportsmen Dennis Uy and Frank Lao and Pampanga Governor Dennis ‘Delta’ Pineda can change the PBA hierarchy, Tan said it will definitely ‘rock the boat.’

“Talagang pinagplanuhan, hindi nangyari by accident, there was a grand plan to develop this team,” Tan said of Converge’s buildup “Ang kagandahan they are willing to spend. So what the management of Converge is doing is good for the franchise and its fan base.

“Definitely, kayang sumabay n’yan, may material na, sa guard si (Jordan) Heading, (Alec) Stockton, (Schonny) Winston, then sa slot sina Justine Baltazar and Justin Arana, may Brian Santos pa. Kumpleto na, matibay na,” said Tan.

‘Di ka makaka-compete kapag sumunod ka’

Asked how he feels about Converge’s aggressive buildup, Tan gave a straightforward reply.

“Honestly, ako I favor dati na may salary cap kasi it will bring order and balance. Kaso wala naming sumusunod,” he said. “Alaska used to abide by these rules, but what happened? Nothing. Until the owner decided to sell the franchise.

“Ngayon, wala nag salary cap eh. Meron pa ba? Let’s call a spade a spade, be honest about it. Hindi ka makaka-compete pag susunod ka,” he added.

Meanwhile, Converge’s fan-based social media co-administrator Dr. Raffy Tuazon, bared how they saw a huge spike in the following of their Purple Hub pages when Converge began to win games the last two conferences.

“Nagulat kami kasi sobrang bilis na dumami ang members namin. Imagine, we only created our pages during the last Governors’ Cup pero ang bilis dumami ng followers tapos ang taas ng engagements namin sa kada post,” said Tuazon, an anesthesiologist in a high-end private hospital in Makati.

“I think, nakakita ang mga fans sa Converge ng bagong hero team and the fact that Converge is winning games, most of them come-from-behind against tough teams like Ginebra and NLEX further shows the true potential of the FiberXers,” he added.

Meanwhile, the long-time leader of Alaska fans, Lucy Buenaventura, told SPIN.ph that ever since Converge went full throttle in its build-up, the demand for tickets from them has steadily spiked.

“Ang dami ulit nanghihingi at nagpapa-reserve ng tickets. It goes to show na unti-unting bumabalik ang sigla ng mga fans ng franchise namin. Hindi naming tinatawag na Alaska o Converge fans mga yun, PBA fans,” she said.

Can Converge sustain its rise? That remains to be seen.