Happy Birthday, Ramon Cruz ( Feb 23 )

One thing you easily notice about the quy is his inherent shyness. He seldom talks. And his smiles come once in a blue moon. He's 5-11, of medium built. He's got slow strides. His moves are calculating. He plays guard-forward for the RP Men's quintet. As one of the six veterans in the team, Ramon Cruz towers head and shoulders above the others taller, and heftier, than him. "He's an important man in the lineup," confesses assistant coach Nemie Villegas. "His transformation from a feared winger to a more polished ball distributor is remarkable. Others would find the switch rather harsh and difficult. Not Ramon. He's best attuned to the two positions," Villegas continued. Cruz regaled the booing-thenapplauding Filipino crowd in the team's debuting game against Yugoslavia when he toyed on the Yugos shortest Zoran Slavnik (1.81) then held his own against the chorus of tall guards thrown to harass him by finishing the night with 31 big points. He not only earned admiration from the usually hard-toplease local spectators, but got the respect of the top two teams' coaches, Yugoslavia and Russia.  Among the battery of guards in Coach Jorge's charges, Cruz seems to be loaded most with the greater responsibility in that Jorge expects him to deliver in offense and shine. in defense. Where Alex Clarino, another guard standout, would be expected to scintillate purely in defense, Cruz has to contribute in both. "The more work coach tells me to do in the game, the more I'm challenged to play basketball." If the number of minutes played in the court will be a gauge to a player's value in the team, then Ramon Cruz is obviously the most valuable player in the squad. "Let's put it this way. I may be that important to the team but there are others as equally important." And you only nod in earnest agreement. For there is the rugged Alex Clarino, the slim but reliable Padim Israel, Joy Carpio, Pol Herrera. Nael Castillo and Caesar Yabut. And yes, Steve Watson. "Everybody does his part for the team," he says.