San Miguel Beermen’s Jericho Cruz during the PBA Philippine CUp Finals Game 4 against TNT Tropang 5G. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
While attention will be on what Gilas Pilipinas will do right or wrong in the Fiba Asia Cup, the Most Valuable Player of the recent PBA Philippine Cup Finals is also in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to represent another country.
San Miguel Beer’s Jericho Cruz is going to lead Guam’s maiden appearance in the continental tournament where a respectable showing could serve as a moral victory for the tiny island that will be facing formidable opponents.
“If we could get just one win, it would be a historic moment for us,” Cruz said in Filipino as Guam faces Japan, Iran and Syria in Group B of the tournament that began on Tuesday at Jeddah’s King Abdullah Sports City.
Gilas, on the other hand, is in Group D, denying Cruz a chance to face his Beermen teammates June Mar Fajardo and CJ Perez and other foes like Scottie Thompson and Calvin Oftana.
Cruz, however, did join Gilas for dinner hosted by Gilas Pilipinas program director and San Miguel Corporation sports director Alfrancis Chua a couple of nights ago in Jeddah.
While Cruz was born in Pasig City, he grew up in Saipan, which made him eligible to represent Guam. Both Saipan and Guam are part of the Mariana Islands.
SEAG gold
Cruz actually played for the Philippines in the 2013 Southeast Asian Games, winning the gold in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar. But he joined Guam during the Fiba Asia Cup Qualifiers in 2020.
Guam made it to this year’s Asia Cup for the first time despite going 1-5 in the qualifiers, by way of splitting two matches in the final qualifying stage in March.
Cruz averaged 10.8 points, 2.3 rebounds and 4.1 assists for Guam during the qualifications.
“It’s a great feeling [to qualify], not just because I grew up there,” Cruz said. “For an island that has a small population and without a pro league, qualifying for the Fiba Asia Cup is a big deal. But there’s plenty of hard work that needs to be done.”
Cruz and Guam open their campaign on Wednesday against Iran, before taking on Syria on Saturday and Japan on Sunday.
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The 34-year-old’s performance in the Philippine Cup Finals where his timely plays and swagger helped propel San Miguel to the championship could bode well for Guam’s bid to make most of its status as debutant. INQ
