LIKE any great player, Mark Caguioa knows when to rise to the occasion.

He displayed that uncanny ability by twice leading Barangay Ginebra in crucial back-to-back wins over Alaska in their quarterfinals duel that boosted the Gin Kings to th...e semifinals of the 2010-2011 PBA Philippine Cup.

The man who averaged a shade under 13 points in his first 13 outings came off the bench to pour in two 20-point games in those crucial wins that earned him the Accel-PBA Press Corps Player of the Week honors for the period Dec. 20 to 26.

“He has matured so much as a player,” noted Ginebra coach Jong Uichico of the 31-year-old guard who used to be a starter but is now seemingly comfortable as a reliever.
“He has evolved from scorer to playmaker to defender, especially in our Alaska series,” Uichico added. “He is the epitome of our never-say-die spirit.”

Rudy Hatfield (13 points, 15.5 rebounds) and Ronald Tubid 13.5 points) also played major roles in those victories. But Caguioa’s hands undeniably left the biggest impression on the wins the Kings needed after dropping a 101-104 decision to the Aces in their best-of-three series opener.

Like last Christmas Day, when the 2001 Rookie of the Year took over in the second half with 16 of his points to lead Ginebra into a cruising 79-70 victory before a mammoth crowd at the Cuneta Astrodome.

Prior to that, the man nicknamed “The Spark” scattered seven points in the first and third quarters. The first gave the Kings the lead and the third fully broke them away from a close game and well on their way into a runaway 94-76 triumph.
Thus, from the brink of elimination and an early 20-point deficit in the deciding game Ginebra is now in the race-to-four semis against San Miguel Beer.

There is little doubt Caguioa will again play a major part in Ginebra’s drive.