The question popped up yesterday after the celebrated guard didn’t play when ICTSI La Salle lost to Dazz Diswashing Liquid, 73-81, in the PBL Challenge Cup at the Makati Coliseum. It fuelled speculation that the Archers have released the talented Fil-Am guard.
But a team official told The STAR that the former Carson High cager was not cut from the team. "He just want a vacation at least until after Christmas and we gave him that because according to him, he wants to visit his family in the United States," said ICTSI manager Manny Salgado.
Cortez and another Fil-Am also from La Salle were in a center of controversy following the Archers’ loss to rival Ateneo in Game Three of the 65th UAAP season recently.
Allan Salangsang led three other Dazz cagers in double figures with 16 points while Adonis Sta. Maria fired 15 points to lead ICTSI scoring although the team seemed to play tentatively without the quarterbacking of Cortez.
Another collegiate hotshot, James Yap, was also curiously absent from the team.
Yap wanted to transfer to Sunkist to join his University of the East teammates there but according to league commissioner Chino Trinidad, the 6-foot-3 shooting has an existing agreement with ICTSI.
"We don’t have contracts in the PBL but we have what called a word of honor," said Trinidad. "He has an existing contract with ICTSI until 2003 and he should abide by that."
Meanwhile, defending champion Cheese Balls-Shark started its title-retention bid with a 97-74 rout of Sunkist-Pampanga in the first game.
Stephen Padilla proved himself a worthy last-minute addition to the Cheeseballs as he wowed the crowd with a shower of three-point shots. He drilled in a total of 22 points, with a high percentage of six-of-10 attempts from the three-point line.