December 1 to 7 Player of the Week

THERE is little doubt Air21 feels sanctified for having an all-around player like Ranidel de Ocampo.

No less than Express head coach Bo Perasol said so after the forward propped them to two wins and in the process earned for himself the KFC/Accel PBA Press Corps Player of the Week honors for the period December 1 to 8.

“Ranidel is the consummate player. He’s got great attitude, superior skills and a very competitive spirit,” noted Perasol. “We are blessed to have him in our team.”

The 6-foot-5 product of St. Francis of Assisi bears out those words through his statistics.
In a 102-84 blowout of Barangay Ginebra last Friday, he tallied `16 points and 11 rebounds for his eighth double-double of the conference, tying him with Coca-Cola’s Asi Taulava and Sta. Lucia Realty’s Kelly Williams for the lead in said category.

The No. 4 pick overall in the 2004 Rookie Draft failed to keep that lofty perch by coming out a rebound short in a 97-88 win over the Realtors last Sunday. But Perasol will not complain.
After all, De Ocampo had a team-high 23 points to go with seven assists, two steals and a shotblock, plus the crucial plays that tided the Express over in the stretch.

“Ranidel pulled us through,” stated Perasol. “He made the shots, grabbed the rebounds and had a couple of steals in the endgame that all proved decisive.”

Those wins improved Air21’s win-loss record to 8-7 lodging the Bert Lina-owned franchise at fifth-running spot and a distinct shot at automatically making at least the quarterfinals nearing the closing stage of the eliminations.

That suits Perasol just fine.

"Our target is to make the top five, nothing less. We don't want to be No. 6 because it's just like being No. 9," said Perasol, his last words referring to those who are to be relegated to the wildcard stage.

With players like De Ocampo leading the way, there’s little doubt Air21’s modest goal could be easily reached. (NCo)


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