King Gurtiza was at the forefront of Emilio Aguinaldo College's rebirth the past week, which saw the Generals pick up two crucial victories that allowed them to revive their NCAA Season 100 Final Four hopes.
The graduating shooting guard starred in their 97-86 rout of San Sebastian College-Recoletos and their 78-70 comeback win over University of Perpetual Help System DALTA as EAC soared to share of fifth spot at 5-5 with host LPU.
The 6-foot-tall cager posted 14 points, three rebounds, six assists, one steal, and one block against the skidding Stags before he led their come-from-behind against the ALTAs with 21 markers, two boards, two dimes, and two swipes.
With him anchoring their resurgence, Gurtiza was named Collegiate Press Corps NCAA Player of the Week, backed by the Philippine Sports Commission, and with Discovery Suites and World Balance as minor sponsors for the period of October 8 to 13.
He bested San Beda University's Yukien Andrada, Lyceum's Renz Villegas, and De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde's Allen Liwag to earn the nod from the scribes covering the collegiate league.
"Sabi ni Coach [Jerson Cabiltes] sa amin, kailangan talaga 'tong panalo kasi every game nitong second round is very crucial. So momentum gainer siya going to our next game," said Gurtiza.
"Maraming salamat at nakuha namin ang panalo na 'to."
[Coach told us, we needed to win this win because every game in the second round is very crucial. This will be a momentum gainer going to our next game.]
Gurtiza and the Generals will look to keep this momentum going, especially as their next assignment would be against a strong Mapua University team on Tuesday.
"'Yun nga 'yung mentality namin na walang bibitaw hangga't 'di pa natatapos 'yung game. Kahit lamangan kami ng ilan, nandiyan pa rin kami para humabol, magpahirap sa kalaban namin," Gurtiza said.
"Ang dami kong tinira, ang dami ko ring sablay. Pero thankful ako sa tiwala na binibigay ni coach, ng mga teammates ko sa 'kin. Kahit nagmi-miss ako, sa 'kin pa rin binibigay 'yung crucial plays so thankful ako sa tiwala na binibigay nila."
[That's the mentality of ours, no one will ease up until the game is over. Even if others would take a lead over us, we'll be there to come back and make it tough for our opponents... I took a lot of shots, and I missed a lot of shots. But I'm thankful for the trust that my coach and my teammates continued to have in me. Even when I was missing, they would go to me for the crucial plays so I'm thankful for their trust.]
—JMB, GMA Integrated News
