Cortes named player of the week

The cool Cat” Mike Cortez continues to master the dual roles of both scorer and facilitator after he earned the Player of the Week award for the period of March 18 to 24 as he helped the Air21 Express to consecutive wins in the ongoing PBA Commissioner’s Cup.

Cortez proved to be an able sidekick to import Michael Dunnigan as he averaged 13.5 points, six assists, six rebounds, three steals and a block in wins over the reigning champions San Mig Coffee and GlobalPort.

The former La Salle star displayed his versatility in an 87-82 victory over the Mixers, when he backstopped Dunigan’s 25 points and 20 rebounds with 13 points, six rebounds, as many assists and three steals.

In the course of a come-from-behind 87-72 victory over the Batang Pier last Saturday, Cortez tallied 14 points, seven rebounds and six assists to help prop Dunigan’s 22 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists and point the Express to their fourth straight win.

The dominance of Dunnigan coupled with the resurgence of Cortez has propelled the Express to an even 5-5 (win-loss) record./Correspondent Jonas Panerio