PBA Player of the Week: Washington earns scribes' nod

It’s hard to shine on a team with a cavalcade of stars. But for Jay Washington, there’s no better time than to raise his level several notches against two crack teams over the weekend. Washington averaged 24 points, eight rebounds, 1.5 blocks and one assist in the Beermen’s back-to-back victories over Rain or Shine and sister team B-Meg Derby Ace. His performance was simply hard to ignore and he was chosen as this week’s Best Player by the Philippine Basketball Association Press Corps from the period of April 30 to May 2. The 6-foot-7 forward’s fine all-around plays in both those games earned glowing appreciation from no less than SMB coach Siot Tanquingcen. “His talent is really something. He can beat you from the inside and the outside and that’s just incredible," said Tanquingcen, who also can’t help but compare Washington to 1999 Rookie of the Year awardee Danny Seigle in his heydays. “His skill level is very high and he has this uncanny understanding of the game. If you play him small, he’ll post you up. If you play him big, he’ll kill you in the perimeter. He reminds me so much of a young Danny Seigle," Tanquingcen noted. Washington performed as his team’s go-to-guy in those victories. He had an impressive 25-point, seven-rebound performance in SMB’s come-from-behind 80-72 win over Derby Ace last Sunday. Olsen Racela, Joseph Yeo, Alex Cabagnot and Arwind Santos spearheaded the Beermen’s comeback from two 18-point third quarter deficits, but Washington kept them in the game with all but two of his personal season-high points in the first three periods. And his lay up also capped the Beermen’s rally as they grabbed a 67-66 edge. The 28-year-old first set a new season-high with 23 points in a 105-97 win over the Elasto Painters last Friday, spiking his performance with nine rebounds, two steals and as many blocks. - GMANews.TV