MANILA — The rookies are making their mark in this PBA season.
A week after Bobby Ray Parks made his impressive league debut, CJ Perez erupted for a new career-high of 39 points in steering Columbian Dyip to its breakthrough win in the Commissioner’s Cup.
Last year’s top rookie pick shot the lights out of the Mall of Asia Arena by going 7-of-8 from three-point range in a 120-105 victory over NLEX.
Overall, Perez went 15-of-21 from the field and had nine rebounds, three assists, three steals, and just a single turnover in 35 minutes of play as the Dyip finally made the win column after losing their first three outings.
Perez’s career-best made him the hands down choice as the PBA Press Corps-Cignal Player of the Week from May 29 to June 2.
The 25-year-old Perez became the second rookie in a row to win the weekly honor after Parks, who was recipient of the award on the first week of the mid-season conference.
Incidentally, Parks of Blackwater was among the several players edged out by Perez for the honor, along with Anjo Caram of Meralco, the Barangay Ginebra pair of Greg Slaughter and Scottie Thompson, Alaska’s Jeron Teng, Roger Pogoy of TnT Katropa, Matthew Wright of Phoenix, and the NorthPort tandem of Mo Tautuaa and Sean Anthony.
Perez was on beast mode in the game against NLEX that deputy mentor Jojo Lastimosa, calling the shots for the team in the absence of coach Yeng Guiao, admitted the Road Warriors had no answer against the former NCAA MVP from Lyceum.
In the end, Lastimosa, a member of the league’s 25 Greatest Players, gave Perez the ultimate compliment by referring to him as ‘a star in the making.’
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