‘The Rocket’ takes off as Ginebra shuttles to semis

Displaying courage under fire is one of JC Intal’s finer traits of late and Barangay Ginebra is much better off because of it. There was little the 6-foot-4 high-flyer did not do in the week that was, enabling the Kings to realize their goal of hurdling Talk ‘N Text in an eventful KFC-PBA Philippine Cup quarterfinals series and making the semifinals. That earned for man nicknamed as “The Rocket" the nod as the KFC/Accel-PBA Press Corps Player of the Week for the period Feb. 1 to 7.

Intal has also been previously cited, along with Sta. Lucia Realty’s Kelly Williams, in the span covering the Jan. 4 to 10 period. This time, the accolade is all his as he beat out Purefoods’ James Yap for the honor. In leading Ginebra to two of the three victories the team needed to overcome a 0-2 deficit in the best-of-five duel, Intal averaged 26.5 points, 10 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.0 blocks, capped by a career-high 28 points in a 113-100 clincher last Sunday. The Kings won Game 4 by forfeiture when the Tropang Texters walked out, making most wonder how Intal’s numbers would have come up had that match continued. There was little doubt he would have approximated the 25-point, 10-rebound and three-assist output he racked up in a 102-97 breakthrough victory in Game 3. “JC has gone a long way from the time before he came to Ginebra," said Kings coach Jong Uichico of the man who was acquired, along with former Ateneo teammate Doug Kramer, from Air21/Burger King in a mid-season trade in 2008-09. Those productions came at a time Ginebra needed them most as the team desperately needed an on-court spark due to the injuries that sidelined Jayjay Helterbrand and Mark Caguioa for so long. The backcourt duo has returned, but it was clear their form was still far from their old deadly self. So it was up to the likes of Intal, Ronald Tubid and Eric Menk to pick up the cudgels. Especially Intal, who tallied averages of 10.5 points and 4.7 rebounds during the eliminations but finished the quarterfinals as the leading scorer. “If there’s a good thing that happened without Jayjay and Mark, it’s JC finding a niche in the system," Uichico pointed out. “It’s so hard to find a niche in my system because I tend to control my players, until I know I can let them go." That time may come when the perennial crowd favorites take on Alaska in a best-of-seven semis duel starting Wednesday. For sure, Uichico is among those eagerly waiting how Intal’s continuing improvement as a player turns out. “The more games he plays, the more mature he’ll become and the more he’ll study and withstand the pressure," he said. - GMANews.TV