Don't look now, but controversial Negrense cager James Yap is in the limelight again.

Yap, however, is not become more famous because of his off-court romance with Kris Aquino, but because of his exploits in the basketball court, where he has become one of the catalysts of the Purefoods Chunkee Giants' sudden resurgence in the Philippine Basketball Association.

With the 6-foot-2 Yap, who hails from Escalante City, having his breakout year in his sophomore season and the rest of his teammates peaking just in time, Purefoods sits at the top of the San Mig Coffee-Fiesta Conference with a 10-5 record.

Aside from averaging close to 18 points, 5 rebounds per game spiked by 41 percent shooting from the three-point area, the Negrense cager is running second overall in statistics that will come in handy as he bids for his first Most Valuable Player award in the PBA, after finishing second to Rich Alvarez as the league's best rookie last year.

But Yap, who once played for Bacolod Tay Tung High School, has also added another dimension to his game. He ranks fifth in steals with 1.9 a game, a product of his renewed commitment to playing defense.

"There's nothing special really, the chemistry of the team is just good," Yap, who ranks next to teammate Kerby Raymundo in statistical points.

The soft-spoken Yap is actually the first player in the tournament to be given the PBA Press Corps Player of the Week award twice, receiving his second accolade for the Nov. 7-13 period. He is well on his way for another award after sizzling for 27 points in Purefoods' 84-75 win over Sta. Lucia Wednesday night.

In that game, Yap, who will turn 24 in February next year, scored 14 points in the first quarter to set the town for the victory that gave Purefoods at least a playoff for an outright semis seat. *CPT

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