Jimwell shines like gem for Bulls

For Jimwell Torion, bowing out of the PBA All-Filipino Cup is one thing. Doing it in style is another.

The 5-foot-8 Red Bull playmaker was named Player of the Week by the PBA Press Corps for the period covering April 24-30 after powering his team to back-to-back wins over Pop Cola and San Miguel Beer.

The Cebuano hotshot edged teammate Devonn Harp, who could have won the honors himself or even shared it with Torion with the kind of numbers he put up in the same stretch.

But it was too difficult to ignore the heroics of the Red Bull point guard, who took over for the Energy Kings when they needed them most and scored the crucial baskets that counted most down the stretch.

"Even if he is not your traditional point-guard because he loves to shoot a lot, I still believe that with Jimwell around, that position is no longer a problem of our team," said Red Bull coach Yeng Guiao.

Torion averaged 17.5 points in the last two games, scoring the key baskets in spectacular fashions as Red Bull pulled off a 78-75 win over Pop Cola last Wednesday and a 92-88 victory over San Miguel two nights ago.

"Gusto ko talagang mag-take charge sa fourth quarter," said Torion, who looks up to Philadelphia 76ers' point guard Allen Iverson, whose style he loves to emulate.

Both Iverson and Torion are non-traditional point-guards who look to score more often than to pass. In fact, Harp, who dished out a triple-double performance, led the Energizers in assists over the past two games, averaging nine, a far cry from the 1.5 assists Torion logged over the same stretch.