Mark Cruz

Mark Cruz
No. 30 – Star Hotshots
Position Point guard
League Philippine Basketball Association
Personal information
Born (1992-07-27) July 27, 1992
Quezon City, Philippines
Nationality Filipino
Listed height 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m)
Listed weight 150 lb (68 kg)
Career information
High school Colegio de San Juan de Letran
College Colegio de San Juan de Letran
NBA draft 2015 / Round: 3 / Pick: 30th overall
Selected by the Star Hotshots
Playing career 2015–present
Career history
2014 Blackwater Sports (PBA D-League)
2014 Jumbo Plastic Linoleum Giants (PBA D-League)
2015 Cagayan-Gerry's Rising Suns (PBA D-League)
2015–present Star Hotshots
Career highlights and awards

Mark Lu Cruz (born July 27, 1992) is a Filipino professional basketball player who currently plays for the Star Hotshots of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). He is the smallest active player in the league today, earning the moniker Ant Man.[1]

College career

Cruz studied at the Colegio de San Juan de Letran and played for the Letran Knights varsity squad. Teaming up with Kevin Alas and Raymond Almazan, and later Kevin Racal and Rey Nambatac, he propelled the Knights to the finals in 2012 and 2013, only to lose to the San Beda Red Lions on both occasions.[2][3][4] After missing the Final Four the year before, he flourished under new coach Aldin Ayo, leading the Knights in his final collegiate year.[5] In 2015, he led the Knights to an NCAA Championship against their archnemesis San Beda, ending a 10 year title drought. He was awarded the Finals MVP.[6]

Professional career

Cruz was drafted 30th overall in the 2015 Rookie Draft by the Star Hotshots.[7] Unlike his fellow rookies, he signed a one-conference contract with the Hotshots. In his PBA debut he tallied 7 points, 2 rebounds and 1 steal in a loss to the San Miguel Beermen[8]

Personal life

Cruz is the younger brother of former UP Fighting Maroons star and PBA player Marvin Cruz.[9] His favorite player growing up is Jimmy Alapag. He took up a degree in Operations Management and hopes to start a business someday.[10]

References

  1. ↑ Naredo, Camille (July 23, 2015). "'Ant-Man' Cruz thrilled to inspire undersized players". ABS-CBNnews.com. Retrieved October 30, 2015.
  2. ↑ Riego, Norman Lee Benjamin. "Letran bests San Beda for first title since 2005". ABS-CBN Sports. Retrieved 31 October 2015.
  3. ↑ Domingo, Mia Rengie Angela Domingo. "Small but terrible Mark Cruz stands tall, brings home the ‘suka’ for the Letran Knights". InterAKTV. Retrieved 30 October 2015.
  4. ↑ "NCAA Season 89 Finals Game 3: San Beda vs Letran". Philstar.com. Retrieved 30 October 2015.
  5. ↑ Bracher, Jane. "Mark Cruz ready to lead Letran Knights in his final year". Rappler. Retrieved 30 October 2015.
  6. ↑ Leongson, Randolph. "Smallest man stands tallest as Mark Cruz named Finals MVP". Inquirer.net. Retrieved 30 October 2015.
  7. ↑ "Full Results: 2015 PBA Rookie Draft". GMANetwork.com. Retrieved 30 October 2015.
  8. ↑ Sacamos, Karlo. "Mark Cruz thankful for one-conference Star deal, draws confidence from mentor Abarrientos". SPIN.ph. Retrieved 5 November 2015.
  9. ↑ Baybado, Daryl Angelo (August 16, 2014). "Fearless Knight". lifestyle.inquirer.net. Retrieved August 29, 2015.
  10. ↑ Olivares, Matthew. "Mark Cruz: In the land of the giants". Philippine Star. Retrieved 30 October 2015.
Preceded by
Anthony Semerad		 NCAA Men's Basketball Finals Most Valuable Player
2015 		Succeeded by
incumbent
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Saturday, March 05, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.