UE's Martinez is Pharmaton Coach’s Choice of MVP of the Week

Manila, Philippines – At this point last season, the University of the East Warriors were busy stringing victories, building their road to the Finals.

But wanting in depth with the departure of key veterans, this season proved to be disheartening if last season’s debacle was heartbreaking.

Lawrence Chongson tried every unimaginable trick he is hiding under his long wavy hair but to no avail.

The Warriors would miss the Final Four for the first time in eight years.

For a while, the Warriors seemed ready to surprise again the skeptics as they killed down giants one after another, rising from the bottom of the standings.

First, they sent the Soaring Adamson Falcons crashing back to earth with a stunning 71-63 victory. Five days later, they shot down the defending champion Ateneo Blue Eagles with a riveting 62-60 win.

The Warriors looked like every inch the team that went to the Finals last season, at least for two games.

With Paul Lee’s A-game only seen sporadically this season, there was one guy , almost forgotten, who came alive and tried to save the Warriors’ season.

James Martinez.

An ACL injury cost him last season and the chance to win a UAAP championship. Martinez could have been the missing link to the Warriors’ hopes of ending a quarter decade of title drought.

This year, in his farewell season in the league before trying to take his boy-next-door appeal and his sweet shooting hands to the pros next year, Martinez tried to fill in gaping holes in the Warriors' game.

In their win against the Falcons, he went 3-of-7 from downtown. The Warriors’ boyish-looking two-guard finished with 16 points to lead the team.

Against the heavily favored Eagles, who just came from a rousing win against their arch-rivals Archers, Martinez was clutch.

He drilled in a momentum-shifting three-pointer in the last 1:45 of that game, his sixth in the game. When the smoke cleared, Martinez again paced the triumphant Warriors with 22 points.

It was not a mere coincidence that Martinez’ resurgence lifted the Warriors’ game to a higher level.

However, some good things don’t last.

As fate would have it, the Warriors kissed their season goodbye as Lee’s basket in the final 13.1 seconds failed to kiss the rim in their 68-69 loss to the National University Bulldogs.

Two plays earlier, Martinez nailed a three-point play to get Warriors within 65-66 with 61 seconds left.

Martinez badly wanted to end his collegiate season on a bright note. Things, however, did not go his way.

But his determination and heroic performances did not go unnoticed as he was chosen as the

Pharmaton® is the only multivitamin clinically proven to help deliver MVP performance just like the kind of game Martinez had shown for the Warriors.