Perkins, Cignal missing Jose but determined to end series early

Jason Perkins. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/ INQUIRER.net

Jason Perkins admits that Cignal HD is missing the presence of one Raymar Jose.

“That guy has the most beautiful face, you got to miss that pogi face,” he said jokingly of his teammate, who is currently with Gilas Pilipinas in the 2017 Southeast Asian Games.

The earliest Jose can return to the team is next Tuesday for Game 3, if the series goes the distance.

As much as Perkins misses his frontcourt partner, it doesn’t mean that the Hawkeyes will wait for the bruising forward to come back.

And he made sure that Cignal won’t feel much of Jose’s absence, anchoring its 78-56 Game 1 destruction of CEU to gain a 1-0 lead in the 2017 PBA D-League Foundation Cup Finals on Tuesday.

Finishing with 16 points and 11 rebounds, Perkins orchestrated the Hawkeyes’ huge 24-6 opening blast to set the tone for the game as the Hawkeyes cruised to the 22-point rout, perfectly encapsulating how strong the team has been for the past nine games.

“We just play off each other. Our team did a good job of moving the ball, especially Pamboy (Raymundo) because he’s just a good leader and he’s really smart. Even if he didn’t get the points, he just did a good job of moving the ball,” the forward out of La Salle said. “Everybody does not want to lose. We just make sure that always go for the win.”

With one more win separating Cignal from completing back-to-back championship wins, Perkins made it clear that the team is going for the kill on Thursday, with or without Jose.

“I will always wait for him. I love playing with him, but there’s no forever. We have to go out and play,” he said.