Mike Cortez
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Position | Guard |
|---|---|
| Nickname | The Cool Cat |
| League | Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) |
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) |
| Weight | 180 lb (82 kg) |
| Team | Alaska Aces |
| Nationality |  Philippines |
| Born | November 19, 1979 San Jose, California, USA |
| College | De La Salle University-Manila |
| Draft | 1st overall, 2003 Alaska Aces |
| Pro career | 2003–present |
| Awards | UAAP Rookie of the Year (1999), PBA Mr. Quality Minutes (2005), PBA Mythical Second Team (2005), PBA Mythical Second Team (2004} |
Mike Cortez is a professional basketball player for the Alaska Aces in the Philippine Basketball Association. Cortez gained prominence in the amateur ranks for the De La Salle Green Archers in the UAAP and the ICTSI Archers in the Philippine Basketball League. In 2003, he was the first overall pick of Alaska in the PBA Draft.
[edit] Amateur career
In 2000, Cortez debuted for the De La Salle Green Archers as its starting point guard. With him, veterans Renren Ritualo and later Mark Cardona, the Green Archers won the UAAP title in the two of the next three seasons from 2000-2002.
He also played in the PBL for the ICTSI Archers, a team composed mostly of DLSU players alongside then University of the East star James Yap. With the two playing together, ICTSI almost won a PBL title in 2001 only to be defeated by the veteran-laiden Shark Energy Drink.
By 2002, Cortez's performance has quickly led to him considered as top prospect for the PBA.
[edit] Professional career
After the 2002 UAAP season, Cortez applied for the PBA Draft and was drafted by the Alaska Aces as the top overall pick. By then, he was considered as the successor to Johnny Abarrientos as the team's next big star at the point position.
However, he struggled in his first season in pros with inconsistent performances due to Tim Cone's triangle offense system, and the emphasis on Ali Peek, Don Allado and fellow rookie Brandon Cablay. Despite this development, he was a member of the 2003 PBA Invitational Championship defeating the Coca-Cola Tigers.
He lost in the Rookie of the Year race to fellow point guard Jimmy Alapag of the Talk N' Text Phone Pals.
By the 2004-05 PBA season, Cortez was starting to increase his role as Alaska added young players such as Sonny Thoss and veterans Reynel Hugnatan, Jeffrey Cariaso, etc.
The next season, Cortez played probably his best season in the league yet, playing in a consistent level while forming two-man tandem with Willie Miller as Alaska almost went to the PBA Philippine Cup semifinals.
Cortez miss most of the 2006-07 PBA Philippine Cup following an injury in the third game of the conference.
