Letran's new ace

For two straight seasons, Letran’s homegrown talent and guard Mark Cruz used to play behind the shadows of Kevin Alas and Franz Dysam.

Now, the spotlight has been thrown on the five-foot-six guard after Alas opted to skip his final year with the Knights and the unexpected incident that happened to Dysam.

Cruz had back-to-back 20-point games to help keep Letran undefeated in the 89th Season of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), earning him the league’s ACCEL/3XVI-Player of the Week honors backed by Gatorade.

The 21-year-old Management major played his best game so far in Letran’s 87-68 demolition of Mapua, which is also the Knights’ seventh straight win.

He finished with 22 points on an impressive 10-of-17 shooting from the field, eight-of-12 from two-point range.

Cruz also grabbed 10 rebounds–nine at the defensive end– to go with five assists and four steals in 29 minutes of action.

“Nakuha ko na ang kumpiyansa ko sa last game at nagsisilbing inspirasyon ko din ang message sa akin ni Franz na ipagpatuloy ko ang magandang laro ko,” said Cruz, who also erupted for 25 points in Letran’s 67-57 victory over stubborn Arellano last Saturday.

Cruz’s impressive performance reaped praises from Letran coach Caloy Garcia.

“Mark knows what his role is with the team. I’m really thankful that he has stepped up and made those big shots,” Garcia said.

Jose Rizal University’s Jordan Dela Paz and Baser Amer of defending champion San Beda are the other nominees for the weekly award given by sports writers covering the league this season.

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