Garvo Lanete Is NCAA's Top Player Of The Week

King Red Lion Garvo Lanete showed Friday that he is determined to end his collegiate career with another championship tucked under his belt.

The veteran San Beda playmaker, the league's fifth best scorer this season with a 17.4 per game average, proved that he remains one of the dependable players for the the defending champion Red Lions in the 87th NCAA men's basketball tournament.

His blazing performance earned Lanete, who also showed his defensive skill by pulling off four steals, the ACCEL-3XVI NCAA Press Corps Player of the Week.

"This is my final year in the NCAA and I really want to help this team in whatever way I can. We were also focused on bouncing back strong after out game with St. Benilde and maybe that also contributed to my performance," said Lanete who hails from Cebu.

The Red Lions nearly suffered a heartbreaking loss against College of Saint Benilde last week but managed to escape with a 79-78 win over the Blazers.

Lanete, the younger brother of pro cager Chico, exploded with a career high 32 points behind an impressive 13-of-20 shooting in San Beda's 103-62 rout of Emilio Aguinaldo College on Friday.

Lanete's 31-point explosion, built around five three-pointers and an 8-of-10 shooting from the two-point field goal, eclipsed the 31 markers made by by San Sebastian's Calvin Abueva in the Golden Stags' 87-60 rout of University of Perpetual Help on July 11.

Lanete scattered 30 points in the first quarters and was at his best in the second period where he made 13 markers as the Lions outscored the Generals, 34-20, that turned a slim 18-15 first quarter lead to a 52-35 spread at the turn.

"He has been a consistent performer for us but (on Friday) I really got an excellent game from Garvo," said San Beda coach Frankie Lim, who guided the Red Lions to their fifth straight win to join San Sebastian on top of the standings.

Abueva and Perpetual Help's George Allen were the other nominees for the NCAA's weekly honors. -