CJ Perez to polish skills further in D-League

NCAA Season 93 MVP CJ Perez wants to be more consistent even as he seeks to hone leadership skills when he suits up for Zark’s Burgers-Lyceum in the PBA D-League Aspirants’ Cup kicking off Jan. 18.

Perez normed 19.3 points on 45.1 field goal percentage, 6.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.9 steals and 0.2 block to lead the Pirates to an 18-0 finish in the eliminations.

The Pirates, however, failed to sustain that run and rammed into a seasoned San Beda side, which swept them instead in the finals.

“After our 18-0 run, I learned a lot, including the need to finish strong even if we were unbeaten. We fell short in the finals but experience is the best teacher. We learned from it and we moved forward. In the semi-pro ranks, I want to learn to be consistent and how to lead the team,” said Perez.

“My teammates are looking up to me so I need to guide them consistently,” added Perez.

Eleven of the 13 squads participating in the upcoming D-League are school-based, including five others from the NCAA – Wangs-Letran, Jose Rizal University, Batangas-Emilio Aguinaldo College, Perpetual Help and Go for Gold-College of Saint Benilde.

Another showdown with the Red Lions, who formed the core of reigning back-to-back champion Cignal HD, however, would not take place as the Hawkeyes have filed a leave of absence in the D-League.

“It’s okay if they (Cignal HDSan Beda) join or not. Our focus is not on them or on avenging our finals loss. Our only focus is on how we will grow as a team and how we will become more mature in the game of basketball,” said Perez.

“Facing the other NCAA teams is a good experience for us as it will only need a little adjustment from us. We will also be playing against ex-pros so we will definitely learn a lot which will help us in our preparations for the NCAA next season. The level of competition in the D-League is different as it demands more mental toughness and physicality so we could keep pace with our opponents,” said Perez.

With Zark’s Burgers only winning one of its 10 games in a disappointing debut last conference, Perez hopes the Pirates would be able to help mount a huge turnaround for the Jawbreakers in the upcoming season.

“We will do our best to win every game. We will take it one game at a time. It’s an honor to be representing Lyceum and Zark’s in the D-League,” said Perez.