SMB guard going places with Guam quintet

MANILA, Philippines — Like his San Miguel Beer teammates June Mar Fajardo and CJ Perez with Gilas Pilipinas, Jericho Cruz is looking ahead to a busy international slate with Guam.

Cruz helped the Guam quintet qualify for the first time in the FIBA Asia Cup set for Aug. 5 to 17 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where it will face powerhouses Japan and Iran plus Syria in Group B.

Afterwards, Cruz and his Guamanian teammates will bring their act to the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers beginning November.

“History made sa amin ito, ngayon lang nakaabot ang Guam sa ganitong stage so I’m so happy and blessed,” he said.

The WCQ in particular gives Cruz much excitement because Guam will be pitted against Fajardo, Perez and Gilas Pilipinas in Group A, aside from three-peat-seeking Australia and powerhouse New Zealand.

Cruz and Co. will face the Fajardo and Perez-led Gilas twice next year – on Feb. 26 in Guam and July 3 in Manila. He acknowledged it would be a tall order for Guam against the Philippines and the two Oceania heavyweights.

“Facing Gilas, we all know naman kung ano’ng kaya nilang gawin,” said Cruz, who previously played for Gilas in the Southeast Asian Games in 2013 before switching to Guam.

“So ‘yung team namin, we are just there to have fun and enjoy the moment, and try to get experience from it.”