Player of the Week: Ross gives shorthanded SMB lift anew
PBA IMAGES
San Miguel Beer Fil-Am guard Chris Ross outstanding plays against arch rival Alaska recently earned him his first Accel-PBA Press Corps Player of the Week for the period of March 15-20.
The six-foot playmaker was at his element last Friday, finishing with all-around numbers of 14 points, 12 assists and six rebounds as the Beermen pounded the Aces, 116-96 in a rematch of the two Finals protagonists in the Philippine Cup last January.
The Beermen played without reigning two-time league MVP June Mar Fajardo, who was nursing a right knee injury, but that hardly mattered as the team rode on their 17 three-point shots.
But while Arwind Santos, Alex Cabagnot, Marcio Lassiter and import Tyler Wilkerson all have their share from beyond the arc, it was Ross, who served as the glue of the team.
“I put in so much hard work everyday, after practice with Marcio,” said Ross, who was named the Finals MVP of the all-Filipino conference championship series.
“Coach has a lot of trust in me because he’s leaving me out there for a lot of minutes.”
Given the loaded talent of the Beermen, Ross said his job as a point guard became a lot easier.
“I feel like I have the easiest job in the PBA because I have so many weapons and we were clicking on all cylinders (against Alaska),” he added.
The 31-year-old Ross beat teammate Alex Cabagnot, Barangay Ginebra’s Greg Slaughter and LA Tenorio, Star forward Allein Maliksi, Meralo rookie Baser Amer and Rain or Shine shooter Jeff Chan for the weekly citation.
San Miguel swings back to action on Easter Sunday when the Beermen clash with sister team and streaking Star Hotshots at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
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