Mark Gojo Cruz of the University of Perpetual Help System DALTA said that he is still proud of the run they had with his team and is eager to improve come NCAA Season 102 after getting eliminated by the Colegio de San Juan de Letrán in the semifinals last December 5 at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
Still a Historical Season 101
The sophomore guard for the Perpetual Altas left it all out of the floor last Friday as they try and even their series against the Letrán Knights.
But despite his effort, the rest of the Altas still got swept after a 4th quarter comeback led by Jonathan “Titing” Manalili and Jimboy Estrada sealed the win for Letrán as they reached the NCAA Finals once again after 3 years.
“Siguro it shows na, diba start naman ng season wala namang nag ano sa amin eh, wala namang nag expect ba na nasa Final Four kami and yun proud ako sa run namin sa team ko.”
When the groupings got revealed in the new format of the NCAA Men’s basketball tournament, nobody expected that the Altas would be the top seed in Group A considering that they are with the defending champions, Mapúa University.
Yet, the dynamic duo of Mark Gojo Cruz and Patrick Sleat gave the team a whole new trajectory this Season 101.
“Prinove lang din namin na mali sila and siyempre, nira-rank kami ata noong una #6, #7 or #8 and ayun siguro proud lang din ako kase kita ko naman yung mga effort nila.”
In Game 2 semifinals, the 20 year old point guard scored 15 points, grabbed 6 boards, had 2 assists and a steal but went 0-of-4 from the three point area.
In the elimination round the Altas made history for the first time in 21 years since Season 80 in 2004 as they finished with the top seed in their group (Pool A) with a 9-4 record, earning a valuable twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals.
This was also their first Final Four appearance after 3 years going all the way back in Season 97 when they got defeated by the eventual champions, who also happen to be just the Letrán Knights as well.
Still Aiming for a Bronze Exit
The Perpetual Altas still have one more game to play, which is the bronze medal match against the loser of the San Beda University versus the College of Saint Benilde.
Both Benilde and San Beda will play the Game 3 of their semifinals matchup today, December 7 at the SMART Araneta Coliseum in Cubao, Quezon City to determine who will play against Letrán in the NCAA Season 101 Finals.
With one last match in hand, Gojo Cruz vows that they will try to win in it for their senior teammates who will graduate this Season 101.
“Siguro kahit hindi namin akalain na ganito yung end, kukunin namin yung third [place] kase para sa mga seniors namin and siyempre ano eh, isang [karangalan] din yun sa school namin kase wala pa nga din talaga kaming championship and siguro kukunin namin yun para makapag pa-boost ng confidence namin sa next season.”
Biggest Personal Adjustment Come Season 102? Be a Pure Point Guard
Aside from winning a championship come next season, the 2nd year guard for the Altas also told reporters during the postgame postgame interview that his personal goal come next year is to learn on how to be a pure point guard for their team.
“Siguro yung sinasabi sa akin ni Coach Olsen, maging Point Guard ako. Kase sa pro yung height ko ganun din eh. Gusto ko kase, hindi, nasanay kase ako sa Juniors, JD [Pagulayan] ka-tag team [duo] ko talaga eh and yun siyempre ngayon sa seniors magka-pwesto kami. Siguro I think kapag point guard na ako, dos ko siya. Kumbaga alam na alam ko na laruan ni JD and trabahuhin ko lang ito sa off-season kung kaya ko ba talagang mag point guard.”
Both JD Pagulayan and Mark Gojo Cruz were vital for the Perpetual Altas Juniors team in getting the championship back in NCAA Season 99.
The bronze medal match of the Altas against the loser of the CSB-San Beda is scheduled to be played on December 13, Saturday, at the SMART Araneta Coliseum at 8:30 AM, with possible adjustments to the said time and/or date.
