Veteran Peek steals spotlight from younger teammates

Talk N Text, a team loaded with young and talented players, needed a lift to secure the No.1 seat in the quarterfinal round of the PBA Philippine Cup. Surrounded by talented players such as Jimmy Alapag, Kelly Williams, Ryan Reyes, Ranidel de Ocampo, Harvey Carey and Jason Castro, veteran Ali Peek, the most seasoned player in the Tropang Texters’ camp, took the spotlight away form his younger and more illustrious teammates. He was unanimously chosen as the Accel-PBA Press Corps Player of the Week. To get the No. 1 spot at the end of the eliminations and move a win away from advancing to the Final Four, Talk N Text needed to prevail over Barangay Ginebra and Air21. And Peek played a stellar role. “Ali is such a luxury to have. We don’t run any specific plays yet he delivers when needed," noted Texters coach Chot Reyes. “Can you say ‘monster’? That’s the type of game he played the last three games ." The 35-year-old Peek demonstrated his monstrous game against the Gin Kings. He pumped in 25 points and grabbed nine rebounds, enough to help the Tropang Texters beat the Gin Kings, 109-102. Peek had all 17 of the Texters’ points in a nine-minute stretch spanning the last two periods, the best string of points scored by any player in years. Although he took a backseat in their game against the Express where he only contributed eight points and six rebounds, he was able to do the little things that counted in his team’s 103-89 triumph. Talk N Text ended its elims campaign with an 11-3 record and wound up in a tie with San Miguel Beer. But the Tropang Texters were able to secure the No.1 spot by virtue of a superior quotient. Peek was the most consistent among the locals in the Tropang Texters’ string of victories. He averaged 17.4 points (on a rock-solid 34-for-48 field shooting) and 9.2 rebounds in those five games and 16.5 and 7.5 in the last two. It was an improvement from his 10.8-point average in the team’s first nine games. - KY, RCJ, GMANews.TV