Despite the cutthroat competition in the amateur ranks, another cager from Bacolod City is slowly elevating himself into the elite cast of players in the Philippine Basketball League.

Jeff Chan, an alumnus of the University of St. La Salle-Integrated School, underlined his status as among the PBL's best last night, powering Magnolia to a 71-63 triumph over Rain or Shine in the winner-take-all title match in the PBL Heroes Cup at the San Andres Gym in Manila.

A spark off the Magnolia bench, the left-handed Chan, who was adjudged Instant Impact Player of the Conference recently, drilled 16 points and had four rebounds, on top of three assists and two steals.

Chan's contribution, however, goes beyond the stat sheet. Inserted into the line-up in the third quarter, the 6-foot-2 swingman immediately made an impact making six straight points to keep his squad afloat. He was later adjudged the best player of the game. "We stayed focused and we were really determined to win this one. Coach Koy (Banal) gave us a lot of inspiring messages before the game," Chan, who left USLS, after accepting an invitation to play for Far Eastern University in the UAAP four years ago.

Chan and Francis Barcellano, a hulking 6-foot-6 center from Brgy. Mansilingan, helped FEU to two UAAP titles. Barcellano was also instrumental to Magnolia's successful title drive.

But the victory did not come on a silver platter. An auspicious start in the tournament saw it open a six-game winning streak, before struggling in the semis.

In the finals, Magnolia came back from a 0-2 deficit and swept the last three games of the series to take the second title of the San Miguel Franchise in the PBL since 2004 when Viva Mineral Water won a crown. *CPT

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