League officials announced the result of last month’s Player of the Month voting earlier this week, with Lu “Male Model” Cheng-ju of the Yulon Luxgens winning after an outstanding stretch of play that helped his club ascend from near the bottom of the standings to No. 4 in the league.
The perimeter threat with a master’s degree from Chinese Culture University in Taipei, who became the first player to reach the 600-three-pointer plateau with a great start to the season, followed up his two Player of the Week selections last month with the Player of the Month trophy on Tuesday.
Even though individual achievements are rarely emphasized among players in this day and age, the soft-spoken swingman has every right to be proud of his accomplishment.
“I am honored to be picked, given the caliber of players we have in the league,” Lu said. “I would like to thank my teammates for getting the ball to me and setting the picks against the other teams to free me up for the shots.”
When asked by reporters what his next goal is, the Yulon captain skipped the league’s Most Valuable Player distinction and said he hopes for an unprecedented fifth league title.
“For me, winning the league MVP is nowhere near as meaningful as winning another title,” Lu said.
His improvement on the court in terms of his vision and rebounding has transcended the emerging Luxgen’s icon into one of the league’s premier offensive threats, with a average of 17.8 points and 5.2 rebounds per game and a 43.2 field-goal percentage in 13 games.
Next up for the Male Model and Yulon is a feisty Kinmen Kaoliang squad at the Banciao Gymnasium in New Taipei City tomorrow evening.
Kinmen (3-11) have a lot to prove, despite having the services of Kyle Barone, who leads the league in rebounding with nearly 15 boards per game to go along with his average of 22.3 points per game.
It is something of a must-win game for the Automakers, who dropped two straight last week to begin the new year on a down note.
Yulon skipper Wei Yung-tai will be looking to use a victory against the Distillers as a prelude to Saturday’s showdown against a resurging Dacin Tigers outfit, who had won five straight as of yesterday and are looking to avenge their two losses against Yulon this year.
Tonight’s Games
Top-ranked Pure Youth Construction face second-placed Taiwan Beer in a clash of the two elites.
A win in Banciao for the Brew Crew would pull them to within a half-game of the Builders.
Tipoff is scheduled for 6pm.
Tonight’s second game pits the Tigers against the Fubon Braves in a battle between teams who are going in opposite directions.
The Tigers are looking to extend their win streak to six, while the Braves are attempting to win just their second game in seven.
Bologna on Thursday advanced past Empoli to reach their first Coppa Italia final in more than half a century. Thijs Dallinga’s 87th-minute header earned Bologna a 2-1 win and his side advanced 5-1 on aggregate. Giovanni Fabbian opened the scoring for Bologna with a header seven minutes in. Then Viktor Kovalenko equalized for Empoli in the 30th minute by turning in a rebound to finish off a counterattack. Bologna won the first leg 3-0. In the May 14 final in Rome, Bologna are to face AC Milan, who eliminated city rivals Inter 4-1 on aggregate following a 3-0 win on Wednesday. Bologna last reached the
If the Wild finally break through and win their first playoff series in a decade, Minnesota’s top line likely will be the reason. They were all over the Golden Knights through the first two games of their NHL Western Conference quarter-finals series, which was 1-1 going back to Minnesota for Game 3 today. The Wild tied the series with a 5-2 win on Tuesday. Matt Boldy had three goals and an assist in the first two games, while Kirill Kaprizov produced two goals and three assists. Joel Eriksson Ek, who centers the line, has yet to get on the scoresheet. “I think the biggest
From a commemorative jersey to a stadium in his name, Argentine soccer organizers are planning a slew of tributes to their late “Captain” Pope Francis, eulogized as the ultimate team player. Tributes to the Argentine pontiff, a lifelong lover of the game, who died on Monday at the age of 88, have been peppered with soccer metaphors in his homeland. “Francisco. What a player,” the Argentine Football Federation (AFA) said, describing the first pope from Latin America and the southern hemisphere as a generational talent who “never hogged the ball” and who showed the world “the importance of having an Argentine captain,
Noelvi Marte on Sunday had seven RBIs and hit his first career grand slam with a drive off infielder Jorge Mateo, while Austin Wynn had a career-high six RBIs as the Cincinnati Reds scored their most runs in 26 years in a 24-2 rout of the Baltimore Orioles. Marte finished with five hits, including his eighth-inning homer off Mateo. Wynn hit a three-run homer in the ninth off catcher Gary Sanchez. Cincinnati scored its most runs since a 24-12 win against the Colorado Rockies on May 19, 1999, and finished with 25 hits. Baltimore allowed its most runs since a 30-3 loss to
RSS