Mark Cruz. INQUIRER.net PHOTO/TRISTAN TAMAYO
Mark Cruz is one of the biggest reasons why Letran is still undefeated at this point of the season in the NCAA.
Cruz began the recently-concluded week by scoring 29 points and converting six out of his 15 three-point attempts to go along with a season-high seven steals last Tuesday to lead the Knights to a come-from-behind 82-76 win over San Sebastian.
The Letran point guard stood tall once again on Thursday, scoring 15 points including a 3-of-5 clip from behind-the-arc including crucial baskets en route to a 77-71 win over erstwhile unbeaten Perpetual Help.
The heroics of Cruz has led to an ACCEL Quantum and 3XVI NCAA Press Corps Player of the Week honors for the Letran court general as the Knights are high atop the team standings of the NCAA Season 91 after winning their first five games of the campaign.
Cruz has been a spark for the Knights this season, averaging a team-best 17.6 points, 4.2 assists, and 3.0 steals after five games. He has also hit 19 triples in a Season 91 that also saw Letran beat five-time defending champion San Beda.
The veteran point guard, however, refused to be carried away by Letran’s hot start, saying it is still a long way to go for the Knights.
“For me, lahat ng teams lumakas. Kahit sino ang makalaban namin, kailangan namin i-treat na malakas sila (For me, all the teams are strong. Whoever we face, we must treat them the same way we do with strong teams.),” said Cruz.