MANILA, Philippines - Called “The Spark,” Mark Caguioa doesn’t only stir up plays for Barangay Ginebra. He makes things happen for the Kings.
He proved that by twice leading Ginebra to crucial back-to-back wins over Alaska in their quarterfinals duel that carried the Gin Kings to the semifinals of the 2010-2011 PBA Philippine Cup.
Caguioa, who averaged a shade under 13 points in his first 13 games, came off the bench to pour in two 20-point games in those key victories that earned him the Accel-PBA Press Corps Player of the Week honors for the period Dec. 20 to 26.
“He has matured so much as a player,” noted Ginebra coach Jong Uichico of the 31-year-old guard who used to be a starter but is now seemingly comfortable as a reliever.
“He has evolved from scorer to playmaker to defender, especially in our Alaska series,” Uichico said. “He is the epitome of our never-say-die spirit.”
Rudy Hatfield (13 points, 15.5 rebounds) and Ronald Tubid (13.5 points) also played major roles in those victories. But it was Caguioa who stood out in those wins after the Kings dropped a 101-104 decision to the Aces in the opener of their short best-of-three series.
Like last Christmas Day, when the 2001 Rookie of the Year took over in the second half with 16 of his points to lead Ginebra into a cruising 79-70 victory before a big pro-Ginebra crowd at the Astrodome.
Prior to that, he scattered seven points in the first and third quarters. The first gave the Kings the lead and the third pulled them away from a close game and well on their way into a runaway 94-76 triumph.
Thus, from the brink of elimination and an early 20-point deficit in the deciding game, Ginebra is now seeking a finals berth against San Miguel Beer.
Caguioa will again play a major part in Ginebra’s title drive.