San Miguel Beer Filipino-American guard Chris Ross’s outstanding plays against arch-rivals 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 in his element last Friday, finishing with all-around numbers: 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 had 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 Philippine Cup 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 has become 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 swing back to action on Easter Sunday, when the Beermen clash with sister team, the streaking Star Hotshots at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
