MANILA, Philippines – William Navarro has only played in five PBA games, but already has one of the finest stat lines the league has seen recently.

When NorthPort continued its impressive run to strengthen its playoff chances, Navarro put up import-like numbers, earning him the PBA Press Corps Player of the Week award for the week of November 16 to November 20.

The former Ateneo star led the Batang Pier to a 112 to 97 victory over Converge, snapping the FiberXers’ seven-game winning run, while also recording career highs of 29 points, 17 rebounds, and 9 assists in addition to 1 steal and 1 block.

Navarro scored 16 points in the third quarter as the Batang Pier cruised the rest of the way to their third straight victory after a tight first half that saw NorthPort retain a tiny 52 to 49 lead.

With the help of that outstanding effort, NorthPort improved to 6- to 5 and moved up to fifth place, reviving its playoff hopes after falling on a three-game losing streak in the midst of the conference.

During that winning streak, Navarro left his imprint everywhere, averaging 19.3 points, 12.3 rebounds, 5.7 assists, and 1 steal per game.

NorthPort must defeat Barangay Ginebra in their final elimination-round match on November 27 at the PhilSports Arena in order for NorthPort to advance to the quarterfinals, which the Batang Pier may seal with a victory.

After teammates Arvin Tolentino and Robert Bolick accomplished the feat earlier in the competition, Navarro became the third Batang Pier player to win Player of the Week in this conference.

He won the weekly award given out by the team that regularly covers the PBA beat by defeating Terrafirma guard Juami Tiongson and Meralco big man Raymond Almazan.

On William Navarro

Just a few weeks ago, Navarro showed some great performance against the mighty Converge. On Sunday night at the SMART Araneta Coliseum, William Navarro put on his greatest performance yet as NorthPort defeated Converge, 112-97, to maintain its chances of winning the PBA Commissioner’s Cup. 

The Batang Pier’s third straight victory and continued rise to fifth place in the rankings with a 6-5 record were fueled by the rookie winger’s career-high 29 points, 17 rebounds, and nine assists. 

The FiberXers’ absence of Quincy Miller, who was benched by the squad for disciplinary grounds after skipping practice after celebrating his 30th birthday, was utilized by Coach

Navarro scored 16 of his points in the third quarter alone, helping NorthPort increase its advantage from three points to 88-73 heading into the fourth. 

Robert Bolick, the star player for the other Batang Pier, led the way with 26 points, 10 assists, and six rebounds in the victory. 

With 1:37 remaining, import Prince Ibeh scored 19 points, including the free throw that increased their advantage to a game-high 110-91. He also pulled down 15 rebounds and blocked eight shots, which was the second time this conference he had as many as eight. 

Arvin Tolentino contributed 15 points and seven rebounds after scoring 31 points earlier in the game, while four of the starters reached double figures in the triumph.

Navarro completes everything as Northport breaks Converge’s streak without Miller.