Ronjay takes POW citation, impresses coach
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
JOSEF T. RAMOS
 FOR coach Yeng Guiao, he is doing everything to improve Ronjay Buenafe’s game everytime he’s playing on the court. With the way he played last week, the respected mentor is convinced that Buenafe is getting better and better.
The 6-foot-1 Buenafe displayed the fruits of his hard labors on a night the Express direly needed a win in the Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup season 36th on the way to becoming this week’s Player of the Week for the period of October 18 to 24.
He scattered 25 points on 8-for-13 field goal shooting, powering Air21 to an 86-83 win against previously unbeaten Alaska last Friday. He also torched the Aces with seven three-pointers in that game.
Ronnie Matias guided the Express home by scoring nine of his 16 points in the fourth period, but it was Buenafe who put them in a good position to win by making all but five of his three-point attempts and racking up 13 of his points in the third quarter to whittle the deficit to a very manageable 61-64.
Buenafe also wound up with three assists, a rebound, a steal and only two turnovers in 34 minutes. He also had a similar 25-point output two games before and it marked the third straight time he led the team in scoring as it improved to an even 2-2 win-loss slate.
 Finally, he got the attention of Guiao, who has been coaching in the PBA since 1990.
“I am very happy for him. He’s been working on his game and he deserves it,” said the four-time champion Guiao.
“I’ve been pushing him very hard and he has accepted everything I’ve thrown at him. He’s improved his decision-making and he can still get better.”
Such expectations – and living up to them – are nothing new for the former Emilio Aguinaldo College standout who made it to the league as the No. 11 pick by the Coca-Cola Tigers in the 2007 draft and traded to then-Burger King last season.
This is Buenafe’s first citation this season.
He beat the likes of Barangay Ginebra’s Rudy Hatfield, who came up with two double-doubles in the Kings’ back-to-back wins against Barako Bull and B-Meg Derby Ace, and San Miguel Beer’s Dondon Hontiveros. |
Johann Heinrich Lambert G. Ramos serves as President of Linaheim Corporate Services, Inc., which is a proud member of the Lina Group of Companies. He was appointed President last January 2010...
IF THERE is a businessman whose passion for sports and business are incomparable and impressive, Alberto "Bert" Lina has delivered successful results to basketball, cycling and different businesses throughout the years...
