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For Mark Cruz, his stint with Tanduay in the 2017 PBA D-League Aspirants’ Cup is his chance to once again show his worth to the PBA teams.
“I know that I have to prove myself again,” he said.
The diminutive playmaker from Letran was left unsigned in the offseason after Phoenix did now renew his contract at the end of one season.
Cruz, who averaged 4.2 points on 33-percent shooting from three, 1.4 assists, and 1.0 rebounds in 12.4 minutes in his stints with Star and Phoenix, knows he is better than his numbers suggest, but he is willing to build from the ground up anew this time with the Rhum Masters.
Before I returned to the D-League, that’s what I thought. But that’s how things are. This may be what’s meant for me now. Who knows, I may still get back,” the 5-foot-5 guard said.
Unfortunately, Cruz struggled in his first game back, going 4-of-12 from the field to finish with 11 points, five assists, and three rebounds in Tanduay’s 83-67 loss to Cafe France on Monday.
One thing going Cruz’ way, though, is that coach Lawrence Chongson has given him the free hand in orchestrating the Rhum Masters’ schemes on the floor.
“Coach Lawrence lets me be the leader on the floor. I also try to improve myself every game,” he said. “Every day is a big challenge for me. Every game, I take it as a challenge. I know that somehow, there’s pressure but I just take it as a motivation.”
The challenge is also on the Rhum Masters to stay positive and continue improving their chemistry, which Cruz believes is one of their weaknesses.
“That’s our problem. We’ve only been together for a month. We’re working out the things we know we have to improve on,” he said. “We just have to continue playing and developing our trust on each other.”