Desiderio leading the way for Bakers

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Paul Desiderio has been nothing but stellar for Cafe France ever since the team’s 88-74 loss to Cignal two weeks ago.

The Cebuano guard is averaging 16 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 3 assists in the Bakers’ last two wins, helping his side grab a share of the second spot with a 3-1 record in the 2017 PBA D-League Aspirants’ Cup.

Desiderio said he takes more pride for his improved three-point shooting. He’s 8-of-15 from beyond the arc the past two games with five of those treys coming in Cafe France’s 88-52 rout of Blustar Detergent last Tuesday.

“Usually, it’s my three-point shooting that is always absent,” Desiderio said. “That’s what I’m putting my focus on.”

Desiderio also seeks to be a well-rounded player in his stint with the Bakers especially with coach Egay Macaraya entrusting him leadership duties.

“I’m also focused on my playmaking. It’s really something I’m working at, on how I could create and involve my teammates,” he said.

Macaraya believes his starting shooting guard can still bring more to the table.

“He has to understand that he has to be consistent and play to his best every game,” Macaraya said.

And the UP scorer knows that, as he aims to further hone his craft in the games to come and help sustain Cafe France’s winning streak.

“We have to be consistent, because that’s always a problem for us. When teams go ahead, we lose focus, so we know we really have to work hard in correcting that,” he said. “We’re still a young team, but we have to mature because we know we can go toe-to-toe with the other contenders in the league. We just need more jelling as a team and more maturity as individuals.”

Cafe France returns to action on Tuesday against Wangs Basketball.