CHAMPIONSHIP DREAMING
Never one to shy away from the challenge of the bright lights of the semifinals, Jericho Cruz came up big for Rain or Shine, making the most of his chances on Sunday.
The rookie lit up for the E-Painters early, punishing the Bolts with an early 10-point outburst in the first quarter to finish with 15 points, two rebounds, and two steals.
“As for me, I just want to do my job and keep the spirit alive. Gusto namin mag-champion eh,” Cruz said.
After being sidelined and missing the Philippine Cup playoffs last conference due to a foot injury, Cruz is just treasuring every moment he gets as he tries to help his team go deeper in this tournament.
“Last time, I really wanted to play pero hindi binigay sa akin ni God eh. I think may purpose naman yun,” he said. “This game and this series, kita naman na maganda ang resulta. I’m so happy. Dream come true ito para sa akin.”
Personally for the 24-year-old, this is his chance to finally taste the big one after missing out on a championship back in his collegiate days.
“Gusto ko lang matulungan yung team ko mag-champion. Dream ko rin yan kasi when I was playing with Adamson, di kami nakaabot ng Final Four. Kaya ngayon, I’m making the most out of it. I’m just playing for the team,” he said.
A win on Tuesday would inch Cruz closer to his dream, but though Rain or Shine carries a 2-0 series lead, the rest of the E-Painters believe that there’s still a lot of work to be done before they could go for the championship.
“As of now, trabaho lang kami. We don’t want to think of anything else. We try to put our egos down and just do what we’ve been doing basta manalo kami,” he said. (RL)
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