Celino Cruz
Personal information
Born (1977-07-02) July 2, 1977
Manila, Philippines
NationalityFilipino
Listed height5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Listed weight170 lb (77 kg)
Career information
High schoolSt. Anne's Catholic High School - Bulacan
CollegeFar Eastern University (1995–2001)
PBA draft2002: 1st round, 19th overall pick
Selected by the Talk 'N Text Phone Pals
Playing career2004–2012
PositionPoint guard
Number1
Career history
2004-2005Shell Turbo Chargers
2005–2008Red Bull Barako
2008–2009Air21 Express / Burger King Whoopers
2009Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants
2009–2010Barangay Ginebra Kings
2010–2012Powerade Tigers
2012–2013Barako Bull Energy

Celino Salazar Cruz (born July 22, 1977) is a Filipino former professional basketball player. A deadly left-handed shooter, he is best known for his clutch plays. Cruz played eight seasons in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). After playing for the Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraw in college, Cruz was drafted by the Talk 'N Text Phone Pals nineteenth overall in the 2002 PBA draft. He started his professional career as a rookie with the Shell Turbo Chargers in the 2004–05 PBA season, and later played for the Red Bull Barako before being traded to the Burger King Whoopers and then the Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants.

College

As a freshman, the 1999–2000 season, Cruz was already a starter on a relatively unheralded team. The FEU Tamaraws came into the season and predicted to finish not higher than sixth. But, the Tamaraws won an unexpected UAAP Championship.

Cruz' sophomore season was his breakout year. He led the Tamaraws to their second consecutive UAAP Championship where he was named the Most Outstanding Player of the tournament.

The 2001–2002 season saw Cruz establish himself as one of the top amateur players in the nation. He was the leader of the team and was considered a "coach on the floor." He also received Player of the Year and the Silver Basketball award, and was named to the Mythical Second Team. Cruz then decided to leave college early after his junior year to play in the PBA.

PBA career

Ginebra

Barangay Ginebra traded Paul Artadi, Rafi Reavis, and the rights to 2009 8th pick overall Chris Timberlake for Enrico Villanueva, Rich Alvarez, Celino Cruz, and Paolo Bugia of Purefoods. Burger King acted as the conduit team, trading Pocholo Villanueva to Ginebra and acquiring the rights to 2009 Rookie draft eighteenth pick Orlando Daroya and future picks.

Powerade

At the end of the 2009-10 PBA season, he was released by the Barangay Ginebra Kings. Days after, he was signed by the Powerade Tigers as a free agent. He played a key role on his first year as its starting point guard. Together with Gary David, they became a one-two punch for their offense.

PBA career statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

[1]

Season-by-season averages

Year Team GP MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2004–05 Shell 4613.9.388.357.7001.61.4.6.03.1
2005–06 Red Bull 5820.9.417.384.7443.21.6.9.14.6
2006–07 Red Bull 5520.1.454.379.7502.52.1.6.06.2
2007–08 Red Bull 4622.2.376.355.7053.32.6.8.08.0
2008–09 Red Bull 3617.0.376.360.7722.81.9.6.15.5
Air21 / Burger King
Purefoods
2009–10 Barangay Ginebra 3818.1.395.355.6921.91.8.6.04.3
2010–11 Powerade 2121.0.349.339.7502.22.9.7.14.8
2011–12 Powerade 4416.6.377.456.6522.22.0.6.14.1
2012–13 Barako Bull 1914.5.231.159.8821.11.2.3.03.1
Career 36318.5.389.361.7342.41.9.7.05.0

References

  1. "Celino Cruz Player Profile - PBA-Online.net". PBA-Online.net. Archived from the original on October 9, 2015.
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