Aljamal player of week

Yousif Aljamal isn’t the 2006 Finals MVP for nothing.

Displaying grace under tremendous pressure, Aljamal tossed in 12 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter to help defending champion San Beda quench a late fight back by St. Benilde in an 87-65 victory, its fourth straight in the Season 83 of the NCAA.

The Herculean effort earned Aljamal the NCAA Press Corps’ ANTA Player of the Week award, a recognition given to the week’s best peformer.

It also earned him the respect of his coach.

“Hard work pays well, he is one player that works very hard in practice and is willing to take charge at any given time,” said San Beda coach Frankie Lim.

Aljamal bested Letran’s Dino Daa, San Sebastian’s Jayson Ballesteros and Jim Viray, Perpetual Help’s Mark Kong and teammates Sam Ekwe and Rogemar Menor, who was the first recipient of the ANTA-backed plum, for the honor given every week by a group of sportswriters from the country’s leading broadsheets and tabloids. – Joey Villar