The Alaska Aces’ hard-working rookie Calvin Abueva leads the race for the Most Valuable Player and the Rookie of the Year after two conferences, the 2013 Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup and the 2013 PBA Commissioner’s Cup.
The 24-year-old forward tallied a league-leading season average of 21.4 statistical points (SPs) through the Philippine Cup and Commissioner’s Cup. The do-everything rookie proved to be the Aces’ missing piece for success leading Alaska to the semifinals in the Philippine Cup before bowing to eventual champion Talk N Text in seven exciting games.
His stock rose even more during the mid-season, import-laden Commissioner’s Cup Conference when he helped power the Aces to a 3-0 sweep over Barangay Ginebra San Miguel to win the championship.
Petron player Arwind Santos is running second behind Abueva in the chase for the MVP title. Santos is a consistent MVP contender since he joined the league in 2006. The former Far Eastern University Tamaraw compiled an average 21.0 SPs.
Two Talk N Text players are also in contention for the league’s highest individual award. Jayson Castro, a member of the Mythical Team during the recent 27th Fiba-Asia Championship, ranks No. 3 with 20.0 SPs, while teammate Ranidel de Ocampo checks in at No. 5 with 19.1 SPs.
Sol Mercado of Globalport completes the top five players at No. 4 with 19.4 SPs.
The team-oriented Alaska Aces have the most number of players in the top 10 with three. Other Alaska players include Jvee Casio at No. 7 with an average of 18.8 SPs and Cyrus Baguio at No. 9 with an average of 18.1 SPs.
Talk N Text has two players in the top 10. Barangay Ginebra also has two players in Mark Caguioa at No. 6 with 18.9 SPs and LA Tenorio at No. 8 with 18.2 SPs. San Mig Coffee’s Marc Pingris is at No. 10 with 17.694 SPs.
Abueva is ahead by a comfortable margin in the Rookie of the Year race with only a shortened Governors’ Cup left to be contested. Abueva, the NCAA Season 87 MVP, is trailed by Petron’s center and top overall PBA Draft pick this year June Mar Fajardo at a distant second with an average 16.3 SPs.
Meralco’s Cliff Hodge is third with 15.1 SPs followed by Ginebra’s Chris Ellis 13.5 SPs and Hodge’s teammate Vic Manuel with 10.2 SPs.
The MVP award is not won through Statistical Points alone. There is the media and player votes with players from some teams block voting for their teammates. Last year’s MVP Mark Caguioa of Barangay Ginebra, which belongs to the San Miguel Corporation group of companies with three PBA teams, did not lead in the statistics category. Ginebra also did not win a single PBA title last season.
Caguioa, though only at No. 6, could conceivably still win the MVP award making him the first back-to-back winner since Danny Ildefonso pulled off the feat in 2000 and 2001.
Benjie Paras is the only man in the history of the league to win both MVP and Rookie of the Year awards in a single season back in 1989.
Paras won the award despite trailing San Miguel Beer’s Mon Fernandez in statistics. Additionally, San Miguel Beer won all three conferences in 1989 for a PBA Grand Slam. The closest Paras and his Shell team could come to a title that year was when they were beaten by San Miguel Beer 4-1 in the championship for the Open Conference. Paras won via the media and player votes.
The Alaska Aces play their first game of the 2013 PBA Governors Cup when they battle the Talk N Text Tropang Texters 7:30 p.m., Aug. 21, Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Alaska Aces rookie Calvin Abueva, here dribbling past a defending Larry Rodriguez of Rain or Shine in file photo, is leading the race for 2013 PBA Most Valuable Player with an average of 21.4 Statistical Points.
: League officials released the list of top players in Average Statistical Points after two conferences as well as the top five rookies.
Alaska Aces starting point guard JVee Casio, here being guarded by Talk N Text guard Ryan Reyes in file photo, is number seven overall with an average 18.8 SPs.
Alaska Aces veterans Cyrus Baguio and Sonny Thoss, here executing a pick and roll offensive set against the San Mig Coffee Mixers’ Mark Barroca in file photo, are No. 9 and No. 18 respectively with averages of 18.1 and 16.32 SPs.