Perez, Erram earn PBAPC honors
MANILA, Philippines – CJ Perez was quick to validate his status as the No. 1 overall pick in last year’s PBA draft.
The 25-year-old Perez guided Columbian to an even 2-2 record in his first four games in the season-opening Philippine Cup, leading the Dyip in scoring and rebounding with averages of 16.0 points and 7.8 rebounds per game, while adding 4.0 assists and 2.0 steals.
He made his presence felt right on his PBA debut when he exploded for 24 second-half points to steer the Dyip to a 124-118 upset of defending champion San Miguel Beermen. He finished with 26 points and five rebounds.
For his impressive work early this season, Perez emerged the unanimous choice as the first recipient of the PBA Press Corps Rookie of the Month for January.
Meanwhile, John Paul Erram has proven that he deserves a spot with NLEX after grabbing the Cignal-PBA Press Corps Player of the Week for Jan. 28-Feb. 3.
Acquired during an offseason trade with Blackwater, the 6-foot-8 Erram swatted away a potential game-tying basket by Ranidel de Ocampo in the dying seconds to lift NLEX to an 87-83 win over Meralco in a Petron Saturday Special game in Antipolo.
