JACK Cruz-Dumont will look to bring his size as a guard and outside shooting to the PBA after applying for the Season 50 Draft.
The 24-year-old Cruz-Dumont is one of the 128 players who applied in this year’s draft with hopes of making it to the PBA through his ability to shoot from threes along with his 6-foot-3 frame.
“For the last couple of months, I’ve been working everyday with Better Basketball. We’ve been continuing to sharpen my three-pointer and make that a focus. But also, I wanted to use my size more and show teams that I’m a big guard who can attack the rim,” said Cruz-Dumont in a recent interview during a pre-draft workout organized by his agency TMG.
Cruz-Dumont played college ball in Canada with University of British Columbia before moving to University of the East in the UAAP where he played for two seasons.
READ: PBA coaches face hard choices as draft pool lacks size, depth
In his final season with the Red Warriors, Cruz-Dumont averaged 6.2 points, three rebounds, and 2.1 blocks during the elimination round. He averaged 14.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 4.0 assists in his final two games.
He later played briefly with Abra Weavers in the MPBL where he got to experience regional basketball just like his late father John did when he saw action in the defunct Metropolitan Basketball Association (MBA).
“Playing in the UAAP was nothing else. It’s super exciting. That was a great time to get that first glance of playing in the big games and experiencing the energy. I think it’s the perfect place to study basketball here,” said Cruz-Dumont.
“It was great pro experience,” said Cruz-Dumont on his MPBL stint. “To learn how pro teams work and to get my feet in the pro door before going to the PBA.
Being born in the Philippines, Cruz-Dumont was already aware of how big basketball is in the country when his late father played pro in the MBA.
Jack's mother Trixie Cruz was also a varsity player at University of British Columbia where his father also played college basketball before his move to the Philippines to play in the MBA.
“I was born in the Philippines. My whole life growing up, I’ve been hearing stories about the MBA and how legendary that league was. My whole life, I always have an idea of playing in the Philippines one time.”
“And now, it’s time to make that next step,” Cruz-Dumont added.
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