Sta. Lucia's Omolon is PBA Player of the Week

Nelbert Omolon was picked by the PBA Press Corps as its Player of the Week for the period covering January 7-13 after scoring a career-high 40 points in Sta. Lucia's 123-106 rout over Air21 Express last Sunday. The win sent the Realtors to the semifinals of the Smart PBA Philippine Cup. It marked the first time the Realtors earned an outright passage to the Final Four since the league adopted the format starting in the 2004-05 Philippine Cup and the 27-year-old Talakag, Bukidnon native said he just wanted to do his part in making that happen. "Coach Boyet (Fernandez) said we're making history for the team and I just want to be part of it," said the athletic 6-foot-4 in a statement from the media association on Monday. Omolon, also called "Bitoy" by his colleagues in th league, bettered by 10 points his previous high by going 11-of-16 from the floor, including 4-of-5 from beyond the arc. "It will be my first time to play in the semifinals and a best-of-seven in the PBA. For me, the game was crucial and it's so memorable," added the man who also had nine rebounds, two assists and a steal in 36 minutes. The man who was a two-time Most Valuable Player in the All-Stars Rookie-Sophomore Blitz Game also has his personal motives. "Never pa akong nag-kuwarenta sa isang laro kaya pinilit ko na talaga. Baka kasi hindi na maulit," he relayed with an impish grin. It was the first 40-point game by a local since Barangay Ginebra's Mark Caguioa tallied 45 points in Ginebra's 118-114 overtime win over Air 21 on June 4, 2006 for the last quarterfinal berth of the same conference two seasons ago. The figures put up by the fourth year player from Philippine Christian University didn't surprise Fernandez. "Bitoy is one player who does the dirty works for my team. He plays defense, get those offensive rebounds and second chance points," said Fernandez after his team racked up its franchise record eighth straight win. "People may have overlooked his offensive skills and his 40-point production showed that his time spent doing those extra shooting drills after practice is surely paying dividends. Bitoy is now maturing to be an all-around player and a certified star of the PBA and I'm happy for him," Fernandez added. - GMANews.TV