MANILA – Fresh from his Finals MVP run in the PBA, Jericho Cruz found another milestone to be proud of — this time while playing for Guam in the just-concluded FIBA Asia Cup in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
The Ilonggo guard was instrumental in giving Guam its first-ever win in the continental tournament, dropping 21 points, including five three-pointers, in their 82-73 triumph over Syria in the group stage.
“We made history there. We won one game. Kasi coming from a small island na hindi alam ng iba kung saan, but we went to the big stage which is the FIBA Asia Cup,” Cruz said.
“’Yun nga nanalo kami. Sobrang blessed kami to get one win, to make a history for the island of Guam,” added the San Miguel Beermen guard.
Cruz admitted the tournament opened his eyes to the demanding level of international basketball, saying that the challenges of facing top Asian squads underscored how much work still lies ahead for Guam’s program.
“‘Yung mga competition hindi ganung kadali. Mahirap talaga. So kailangan mo pagtrabahuan every minute na nasa loob ka ng court. Pero at the same time, happy ako. I get to meet other people, other players from different country, different country from Asia,” Cruz said.
Cruz and Guam will next prepare for their 2027 FIBA World Cup Asian qualifier match against Gilas Pilipinas this November.
“Hindi ko muna iniisip ‘yon medyo matagal pa ‘yon pero syempre masaya pagka nagkalaban ‘yong Gilas, makakalaro ko ‘yong mga teammate ko sa San Miguel (SMB),” Cruz shared.
“Ang chance siguro namin to be honest siguro mga, 2 percent… pero e-enjoy-in lang namin ‘yong laro. Tingnan natin kung gano kalakas ‘yong Gilas,” added the former Adamson University Falcons guard.
“Tsaka syempre ‘nong nakaraan puro talo sila syempre bounce back ‘yang mga ‘yan. Pero kami as a team (GUAM), e-enjoy-in lang namin ‘yong mga games namin… hopefully,” he further said./PN
