Carl Bryan Cruz. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/ INQUIRER.net
Outshining his famed teammates, Carl Bryan Cruz continued to show why he’s part of Gilas Pilipinas as he delivered the biggest shots in the clutch on Friday.
The former FEU banger drilled three crucial treys in the final five minutes to help the Nationals down Blackwater, 105-101, in a tune-up at Meralco Gym.
But the hardworking forward said the credit for his 22-point outing goes to team’s system and it just so happened that he made the shots the defense was giving him.
“I was playing with the flow of our offense. I’m in the right spot in the right time and I’m lucky that all of those went in,” he said in Filipino. “That’s the beauty of the dribble-drive, we’re always getting open.”
Coach Chot Reyes agreed with Cruz’ assessment, nothing that the Alaska rookie’s role is similar to those of Ranidel de Ocampo in the past.
“Carl plays the role of Ranidel de Ocampo in this team and he knows what’s expected of him. The key now for Carl is to be able to do that on a consistent basis. We also have to be able to rebound when he’s in because he’s not the tallest of the fours and he’s an undersized big man,” he said.
Cruz, though, just wants to show his worth for the national team every practice and every game.
“I want to prove to them that I’m deserving of my spot here and I want to show it that I’m putting in the effort,” he said.
And so far, Cruz’ efforts are showing as Gilas Pilipinas prepares for the numerous international wars starting in the 2017 Jones Cup.
“We’re improving individually and we’re also doing that on defense. I feel we, as a team, are progressing every game,” he said.