The Lyceum of the Philippines University Pirates are inching closer towards rewriting history in the 93rd NCAA seniors basketball tournament, and so is prolific guard CJ Perez.
The 6-foot-1 Perez continues to come up with strong all-around numbers, putting him on track to clinch the highest individual award and become the first homegrown cager to win it in the last three years.
Up against the Final Four-bound Jose Rizal University last Friday, Perez proved a handful over his Heavy Bombers counterparts, as he tallied a game-high of 24 points, eight rebounds, four assists and as many steals while leading the Pirates to a dominant 100-63 victory.
It was the 17th straight win overall for the rampaging Lyceum, who could complete an impressive sweep of the double-round of eliminations with a repeat victory over defending champions San Beda on Thursday.
Perez, as expected, should play a main role anew. “We just want to honor the game like what coach (Topex Robinson) is telling us since Day One. We look forward to our rematch with the Red Lions and we’re gonna give our best,” he said.
Without a doubt, Perez’s sustained brilliance continues to grab the attention of not only of his rivals but also of covering scribes, who bestowed on him the Chooks-to-Go/NCAA Press Corps Player of the Week award for the third time this season.
Barring any ejection, Perez appears to be well on his way to the MVP title, which has previously been hoisted by Mapua’s Nigerian big man Allwell Oraeme in the last two years. Former Perpetual Help star Earl Scottie Thompson was the last local player to bag the coveted award in 2014.
Prince Eze, who led the MVP race after the first round, is no longer eligible to win the tournament’s top individual honor after the Altas were eliminated from Final Four contention.
Perez earned the nod over pro-bound Lervin Flores of resurgent Arellano University for the weekly citation given by scribes from the country’s national broadsheets, tabloids, and online portals.
