When the Lyceum Pirates went back to the finals for a second straight season, one of their key players CJ Perez said he cherished the trust of his teammates.
During the Final Four, coach Topex Robinson intentionally did not let Perez become a starter.
That’s when Perez realized his importance to the team.
“Hindi ako pinag-istart. At iyung iba kong teammates iyung nag-start. Kaya nu’ng napunta na ako sa court, talagang binigay ko ang best ko,” said Perez.
Perez spoke of his thoughts after the Pirates pulled off a 109-85 smashing of the Letran Knights last Oct. 26 at the Arena in San Juan.
This allowed the Pirates to claim their second consecutive finals appearance in the 94th National Collegiate Association men’s basketball tournament.
The Pirates, led by Mike Nzeusseu with 23 points and 17 rebounds, went on to post the season’s biggest winning margin this season at 24.
Perez, who averages 18 points per game, fired 19 points, with and the duo of Jaycee Marcelino and Spencer Pretta contributing 15 each, as the Pirates enjoyed a 51-47 lead at the start of third period.
Nzeusseu and Marcelino combined for 17 points in leading the Pirates to an 81-64 spread at the end of the third.
This put the Pirates against the defending champion San Beda Red Lions, who turned back the University of Perpetual Help Altas, 83-72, to forge another finals showdown with the Lyceum.
Sadly, the Pirates missed Perez in the finals’opener after he was suspended for a game for his failure to inform the NCAA management committee of his intention to join 2018 Philippine Basketball Association rookie draft.
Perez is expected to be back to lead the Pirates to a needed win in Game 2 which could force a deciding Game 3.
Perez said he feels the support of LPU fans, who want him to play.
“I look forward to the inspiration that I get from them. This is not only for me but for me to inspire them as well with my game,” said Perez,
Robinson said they have high hopes of bouncing back with Perez back in action as they fight to even things up in Game 2 on Monday.
When he was still a transferee at Ateneo de Manila two years ago, Perez was considered as a talented a player very passionate in his game.
Back then, Perez was trying to make an impression with his game when he transferred from San Sebastian College.
But a stint with the Ateneo didn’t materialize, and so he moved on to the camp of the Lyceum Pirates.
He didn’t even think of playing when he was starting out in his hometown in the province of Pangasinan.
That’s because he was just contented playing the game at streetside courts.
And he only started playing competitive basketball around the time he graduated high school.
In Game 2, Perez’s journey for basketball stardom continues.
