Brilliant Barba tows Pirates to F4

After a rollercoaster season, Lyceum of the Philippines have finally made it to their ultimate destination as they became the fourth team to advance to the semifinals of Season 100 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) men’s basketball tournament.

The Pirates unloaded a strong finishing kick as they posted a four-game winning streak for a 10-8 win-loss record to catch the last bus headed for the Final Four.

At the front and center of that magical run was main man John Barba, who earned the final Collegiate Press Corps’ NCAA Player of the Week award, backed by the Philippine Sports Commission and minor sponsors Discovery Suites and World Balance.

Barba was instrumental in Lyceum’s twin victories against Emilio Aguinaldo College (EAC) and College of Saint Benilde in the final week of eliminations from 12 to 16 November.

“I can’t describe how happy I feel making it to the Final Four but that’s just for today because the job’s not done,” Barba said following their thrilling 82-81 win over the Blazers.

“We’re in the Final Four so we need to prepare for our opponent. Good thing we got the win and we worked together.”

Barba edged King Gurtiza of EAC, Chris Hubilla of Mapua University, and JP Boral of University of Perpetual Help System Dalta in the weekly citation adjudged by journalists from print and online media covering the country’s oldest collegiate league.

The ace guard averaged 18 points, five rebounds, two assists, two steals, and 0.5 blocks in the twin victories, which netted the team an outright playoff berth.

Barba fired nine points, added nine rebounds, three assists and a steal in a 74-65 win against the Generals last 12 November.

Meanwhile, he unloaded a perfect 9-of-9 shooting clip, including an immaculate 5/5 from downtown en route to a 27-point outing in Lyceum’s 82-81 win against the erstwhile topseeded Blazers last 15 November.