CJ Perez has caught the attention of Gilas assistant coach Jimmy Alapag. PBA Media Bureau (file photo) |
PASIG--CJ Perez is among the Gilas players, either seniors or cadets, who have a complete attendance three Mondays into their weekly practices at the Meralco Gym.
And his work ethic during the training is something Assistant Coach Jimmy Alapag noticed.
"I’ve always been a big fan of CJ Perez. I just think that he is very, very polished for a kid who is just in college," Alapag said after practice. "He is great kid, he comes in and works hard."
In particular, the former Gilas skipper turned Alab Pilipinas head coach cited the six-foot-one Lyceum star's capability to play both guard positions.
"I think his ability to play the point guard and the shooting guard just allows not just the Gilas team but also him as a player to be versatile," Alapag continued.
He then reminded himself of the time when he was still playing.
"Jayson [Castro] and I did the same thing for Gilas where one of us will play the point and the other will play the shooting guard, vice-versa," Alapag reminisced. "That only helps him moving forward to be a part of the program."
While Perez still has one more playing year with the Pirates, Alapag thinks he deserves a spot in the first round of the PBA Draft.
"He is definitely PBA ready. Again, the fact that he still has a another year in school and the fact he is getting experience with a lot of pros here are only going to help him," said Alapag.
Follow him on Twitter: @IvanSaldajeno
And his work ethic during the training is something Assistant Coach Jimmy Alapag noticed.
"I’ve always been a big fan of CJ Perez. I just think that he is very, very polished for a kid who is just in college," Alapag said after practice. "He is great kid, he comes in and works hard."
In particular, the former Gilas skipper turned Alab Pilipinas head coach cited the six-foot-one Lyceum star's capability to play both guard positions.
"I think his ability to play the point guard and the shooting guard just allows not just the Gilas team but also him as a player to be versatile," Alapag continued.
He then reminded himself of the time when he was still playing.
"Jayson [Castro] and I did the same thing for Gilas where one of us will play the point and the other will play the shooting guard, vice-versa," Alapag reminisced. "That only helps him moving forward to be a part of the program."
While Perez still has one more playing year with the Pirates, Alapag thinks he deserves a spot in the first round of the PBA Draft.
"He is definitely PBA ready. Again, the fact that he still has a another year in school and the fact he is getting experience with a lot of pros here are only going to help him," said Alapag.
Follow him on Twitter: @IvanSaldajeno