Diminutive Cruz plays big in crucial game for Star
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With Star’s guard rotation gutted out by injuries, head coach Jason Webb knew he had to dig deeper on Wednesday.
Upon his search through his ailing lineup, an unlikely hero in Mark Cruz, the smallest guy on the team, emerged.
“Our smallest guy had to be called upon to play well today. Even though he’s small, he has a big heart,” said Webb of Cruz, who appears smaller than his listed height at 5-foot-5.
Cruz, one of the leaders of the Letran Knights team that won the NCAA Season 91 championship, showed what he’s made of — scoring 14 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter to lift the Hotshots over the Mahindra Enforcers and into the 2016 Commissioner’s Cup playoffs.
He was picked eighth in the third round of the 2015 PBA Rookie Draft despite leading the Knights, who weren’t even a consensus Final Four team coming into the season, to their first NCAA title in 10 years, and he knew he had to start from scratch and earn his minutes.
The opportunity was there and his time finally came with Star’s backcourt choices limited with injuries. James Yap (calf), Alex Mallari (ankle) and Ronald Pascual (knee) are all ailing heading into a game that would determine the team’s playoff fate.
“Bago pa lang mag-start yung game, sinabihan ako ni coach na mag-ready kasi nga tatlong guards lang kami. Ni-ready ko lang yung sarili ko, pero hindi ko in-expect na tatamaan pa si Mark, so mas maaga ako mapapasok,” said Cruz, referring to his veteran teammate Mark Barroca, who needed five stitches above his right eye during the game.
Cruz made the most out of his opportunity with his timely shooting highlighting the Hotshots’ endgame.
“Sinuklian ko lang ng magandang pefromance. Siyempre yung pressure nandoon, pero nandun yung mga teammates ko, kagaya ni Justin (Melton) na sinasabi na mag-relax lang ako. Sumunod lang ako sa game plan namin at nag-pay off naman sa huli,” he said. “Alam kong ganoon ka-bigat yung pressure kasi there’s no room for mistakes eh. As a rookie, kailangan talaga maganda yung contribution ko kapag pinasok ako. Pero nagpapasalamat ako na kahit rookie ako, nagititiwala sila sa akin. They’re helping me na mag-step up.”
“This league is so tough that you’re gonna need your 10th guy, your 11th guy. At some point in the conference, if you wanna be successful in this league, you’re gonna have to get something from guys at the latter part of your lineup. Although our success is small, just making it only to the eighth spot, pero ang laking bagay na nadala ni Mark sa araw na ito,” Webb said.
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