Belen, Batas lead Statistical Points race

c/o UAAP Media Team

BELLA Belen of National University and Kennedy Batas of Ateneo de Manila University emerged as the statistical points (SP) leaders in their respective divisions at the conclusion of the opening round of the UAAP Season 87 Collegiate Volleyball Tournaments.

Belen, the UAAP Season 84 (2022) and Season 86 (2024) Most Valuable Player, amassed 159.600 SPs to top the women’s division.

The 5-foot-8 opposite spiker, now in her senior year, ranked seventh in the league with 107 points. She also placed eighth in spiking efficiency at 33.47%, first in aces with 0.63 per set, sixth in digs at 2.60 per set, and fifth in receiving with a 33.58% efficiency rate.

Meanwhile, Batas, a third-year spiker out of Santiago, Isabela, tallied 160.370 SPs to lead the men's division. He ranked first in points with 142, fourth in spiking efficiency at 45.52%, fourth in aces with 0.37 per set, and eighth in digging with 1.44 per set.

In the race for Best Outside Spiker, Belen also leads with 303 positional points (PPs), followed by La Salle’s Angel Canino (267), Adamson’s Shaina Nitura (252), NU teammate Vange Alinsug (240), and UST’s Angge Poyos (217).

La Salle’s Shevana Laput is second in the SP rankings with 157.692 SPs, followed by Nitura (145.556), Season 85 MVP Canino (141.538), and Alinsug (130.000). Rounding out the top 10 are NU’s Alyssa Solomon (126.000), Poyos (120.345), UST’s Regina Jurado (113.103), NU’s Shaira Jardio (106.400), and Camilla Lamina (101.600).

In the Best Middle Blocker race, La Salle’s Lilay Del Castillo leads with 181 PPs, closely followed by Ateneo’s AC Miner with 171. Completing the top five are UE’s Riza Nogales (160), La Salle’s Amie Provido (158), and Ateneo’s Yvana Sulit (139).

Laput also leads the Best Opposite Spiker rankings with 274 PPs, with Solomon (214) and Jurado (185) rounding out the top three.

FEU’s Tin Ubaldo leads the competitive Best Setter race with 192 PPs, followed by Season 84 Best Setter Lamina (173) and UST’s Season 86 Best Setter Cassie Carballo (164).

Meanwhile, Jardio leads the Best Libero standings with 205 PPs. Adamson’s Juris Manuel (197) and UST’s two-time Best Libero Detdet Pepito (189) complete the top three.

In the men’s division, UST rookie JJ Macam is second in the SP rankings with 148.750, followed by FEU’s Mikko Espartero (147.917), La Salle’s Noel Kampton (145.000), and UST’s Popoy Colinares (140.833).

Batas also leads the Best Opposite Spiker race with 230 PPs, followed by FEU’s Dryx Saavedra (175), UST’s Jay Rack Dela Noche (158), Adamson’s Jude Aguilar (142), and NU’s Leo Ordiales (132).

Macam heads the Best Outside Spiker table with 281 PPs, followed by Espartero (259) and Kampton (226).

In the Best Middle Blocker race, Colinares leads with 245 PPs, trailed by Ateneo’s Jettlee Gopio (194), Adamson’s Leo Caguimbal (185), FEU’s Doula Ndongala (141), and Ateneo’s Brian Castro (137).

UST’s Dux Yambao leads the Best Setter category with 196 PPs, followed by Ateneo’s Enzo Gutierrez (175), La Salle’s Eco Adajar (162), and Adamson’s Lourenz Domingo (162).

La Salle senior and reigning Best Libero Nard Guerrero is in a tight battle to keep his throne, topping the race with 210 PPs. FEU’s Vennie Ceballos trails closely with 201 PPs.

Collegiate Press Corps set to honor the best of the best

Awardees for the Collegiate Press Corps

Monday night is set to be a special evening, as the Collegiate Press Corps honors the outstanding student-athletes and coaches of the past season in its Annual Awards Night, presented by San Miguel Corporation at its venue partner, the Discovery Suites Manila in Ortigas, Pasig City.

A total of 23 awards will be handed out by the organization, which is composed of the writers from the various media outlets covering the collegiate beat.

Leading the way among the awardees is Kevin Quiambao, who is set to be named as the Collegiate Men's Basketball Player of the Year.

Named as the Most Valuable Player for the 86th season of the UAAP, Kevin helped La Salle reclaim the men's basketball title after seven seasons by defeating the University of the Philippines in a thrilling best-of-three finals series, in which he became the Finals MVP in the process.

Joining him in the Men's Mythical Five selection are NCAA Season 99 Rookie-MVP Clint Escamis of Mapua, Malick Diouf of UP, Enoch Valdez of Lyceum, and Jacob Cortez of San Beda.

Named as the Coaches of the Year in each league are Topex Robinson for La Salle and Yuri Escueta for San Beda.

This year's edition of the Awards Night, which is also backed by the Philippine Sports Commission and has Jockey as a minor sponsor, is a continued reflection of the evolution of the award-giving body, as it is also set to honor the best of the best in the women's basketball scene.

Set to be named as the inaugural Collegiate Women's Basketball Player of the Year is Kent Pastrana, as the University of Santo Tomas standout helped end their seventeen-year title drought with a stunning upset of National University, denying the Lady Bulldogs of an eighth straight title.

Recently named UAAP Player of the Year for team events, Kent is joined in the first-ever Women's Mythical Five by her teammate and Finals MVP Tantoy Ferrer, Josee Kaputu of Far Eastern University, Favour Onoh of the University of the Philippines, and Kacey dela Rosa of the Ateneo de Manila University.

Growling Tigresses mentor Haydee Ong is set to be named as the inaugural Women's Basketball Coach of the Year.

Joining him is Kent Pastrana of the University of Santo Tomas as the inaugural recipient of the Collegiate Women’s Basketball Player of the Year in the ceremony also backed by the Philippine Sports Commission.

For volleyball, the CPC has named Bella Belen and Cloanne Mondonedo as the Women's Player of the Year for the UAAP and NCAA, respectively.

Belen led National University to their second women's title in three seasons, while being named as the league's MVP in each of those campaigns, while Mondonedo helped ensure College of Saint Benilde's stranglehold in the NCAA by capping off her collegiate career with a sweep in Season 99 and third straight championship.

The CPC will also mark this year with the inaugural edition of the Men's Volleyball Player of the Year, with Owa Retamar and Louie Ramirez being the winners of each league.

Both helped their respective schools successfully defend their league championships, the former for National University, and the latter for the University of Perpetual Help System Dalta.

Also set to be honored for the first time are the championship-winning head coaches: NU mentors Norman Miguel and Dante Alinsunurin for the UAAP and Jerry Yee for CSB and Sammy Acaylar for Perpetual in the NCAA.

Julius Randle named as Most Improved Player

The NBA announced earlier today that Julius Randle as its 2020-21 Kia NBA Most Improved Player.

Randle becomes the first member of the New York Knicks to win the award, which is presented to honor an up-and-coming player who made a dramatic improvement from the previous season to the current one. Julius signed with the Knicks on July 9, 2019 after spending his first four seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers and a season with the New Orleans Pelicans.

He earned a total of 493 points from a global panel of a hundred members of the media, most of which came from securing 98 first place votes. The remaining two first-place votes went to Jerami Grant of the Detroit Pistons, who finished in second place with 140 points. Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter, Jr. took third place with 138 points.

Players receive five points for a first-place vote, with three points for a second-place vote and a point for third place.

Coming into the season, Randle had been averaging 16.1 points, nine rebounds, and 2.8 assists. He then raised it to 24.1 points, 10.2 rebounds and six assists in 71 games at league-high 37.6 minutes for the Knicks this season, one that got him named to his first-ever NBA All-Star selection as a reserve. He ranked in the top twenty in the league this season on points, rebounds, and assists, setting career-highs in average for points and assists and matching it on rebounds. In addition, his 41 double-doubles ranked eighth in the league, while his six triple-doubles are tied for seventh.

In the process, Julius becomes the sixth player in NBA history to average 24-10-6 in a season, following Larry Bird, Wilt Chamberlain, Nikola Jokić (who also did it this season), Oscar Robertson and Russell Westbrook.

Julius also showed improved marksmanship from long distance, converting a career-high 160 three-pointers this season at 40.1 percent, having made only 168 in his previous five seasons combined at 29.5 percent. It also extended to his foul shooting, nailing a career-best 81.1 percent there.

During the campaign, Randle was named as the Eastern Conference Player of the Week for Week 17, and was April's Kia NBA Eastern Conference Player of the Month.

As a result, New York rode his improvement to a 41-31 record, securing the fourth-best record in the Eastern Conference and allowing the Knicks to earn their spot in the postseason for the first time since the 2012-13 season.

Below is the voting results for the award, which was first given out during the 1985-86 season.

Jordan Clarkson named as Sixth Man of the Year

History was made on Monday, as the NBA honored Jordan Clarkson as its latest Sixth Man of the Year winner.

He became the first player from the Utah Jazz to claim the award, beating out teammate Joe Ingles and Derrick Rose of the New York Knicks.

The guard of Filipino descent earned 407 points from a global panel of a hundred members of the media, including 65 first-place votes. Ingles would net 272 points with 34 first-place votes. Rose netted the remaining first place vote to finish third with 77 points.  Clarkson and Ingles would be the first set of teammates to finish 1-2 in voting for this honor.

First-place votes are worth five points, second place nets three points, and third-place votes are one point. To be eligible for this award, the NBA denotes that a player needs to come off the bench in more games than as a starter.  

Clarkson came off the bench for 67 of 68 games this season, averaging a career-high 18.4 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 2.5 assists in 26.7 minutes. He led all reserves in scoring with 18.3 points and converted 203 triples, the fourth-highest total from a reserve in NBA history. His career-high 208 total three-pointers made is seventh in the NBA this season.

To add, his 89.6% shooting from the free throw line is ninth in the league.

Clarkson produced 23 games scoring at least twenty points off the bench for the Jazz, with five of those scoring at least thirty points. With his 40-point performance against Philadelphia in February and 41 against Golden State in May, he has two of the five 40-point games from a player off the Utah Jazz bench.

In his first full season for Utah after being traded from Cleveland in exchange for Dante Exum and two second round picks (2022 San Antonio and 2023 Golden State), the Mizzou alumnus helped secure the top-seed and homecourt advantage for the entire postseason for the Jazz at 52-20.

The breakdown of voting can be seen below, with individual ballots to be revealed once all season awards have been revealed.

Antetokounmpo leads NBA All-Defense honorees

The NBA announced its All-Defensive Teams today, led by the 2019-20 Kia Defensive Player of the Year Giannis Antetokounmpo.

The Milwaukee Bucks forward earned 195 total points from a global panel of a hundred sportswriters and broadcasters, receiving 97 votes onto the NBA All-Defensive First Team. The Greek Freak secured his third All-Defensive Team nod overall, after being named to the Second Team in 2016-17 and the First Team last season.

Joining Antetokounmpo in the NBA All-Defensive First Team are Anthony Davis of the Los Angeles Lakers (187 points off 87 First Team votes), Ben Simmons of the Philadelphia 76ers (185 points off 88 First Team votes), Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz (180 points off 85 First Team votes), and Marcus Smart of the Boston Celtics (152 points off 57 First Team votes).

Davis, who finished second in the Defensive Player of Year Award this season, secured his fourth All-Defensive Team selection, equally split between the First and Second Team. A former two-time Defensive Player of the Year, Gobert has been named to four straight First Team selections, while Smart has been named in the First Team for back-to-back seasons. Simmons makes his All-Defensive Team debut this season.

As for the 2019-20 NBA All-Defensive Second Team, it is composed of Kawhi Leonard (128 points), Brook Lopez (67 points), Bam Adebayo (61 points), Patrick Beverley (60 points), and Eric Bledsoe (59 points).

This is Leonard's sixth All-Defensive Team selection, while this is the third for his teammate Beverley. Bledsoe was selected for the second time in his career, with Adebayo and Lopez joining Simmons as first-time awardees.

The Milwaukee Bucks' trio of Antetokounmpo, Lopez, and Bledsoe makes it the first time that a team has at least three players in the NBA All-Defensive Team since the 2012-13 season, where the trio of Tony Allen, Mike Conley, and Marc Gasol of the Memphis Grizzles received such a nod.

Selection for the All-Defensive Team is based on the games played before the season was paused last March 11, with voters making the picks for two guards, two forwards, and a center for both teams. Said voters had to pick players at the position that they play regularly in, although players who received votes at multiple positions are slotted at the position they received the most votes in. A vote in the First Team is worth two points, while a vote in the Second Team is worth a point.

Ja Morant named as Rookie of the Year

Ja Morant was officially named as the 2019-20 Kia NBA Rookie of the Year, and will receive the Eddie Gottlieb Trophy for his achievement.

He is the second player from the Memphis Grizzlies to be bestown the award, following Pau Gasol back in the 2001-02 season.

The second overall pick of the 2019 NBA Draft, Morant received 99 out of 100 first place votes from a global panel of sportswriters and broadcasters, earning a total of 498 points.

The lone first place vote that did not go to Ja went to Zion Williamson, who finished in third place with 140 points.

Finishing in second place is Kendrick Nunn, who secured 204 points.

Voting was based on games played before the NBA pressed pause on the season last March 11. Players get five points per first place vote, three points per second place vote, and a point per third place vote.

Morant led the Grizzlies, as well as all qualified rookies, in scoring (17.6 points) and assists (6.9 assists), while shooting 49.1% in 59 games.He is one of three NBA players to have those kind of numbers this season, joining LeBron James and Nikola Jokić. The Murray State alum netted eleven double-doubles, including a 27-10-10 triple-double against the Washington Wizards on February 9. He also had seven 20-point and 10-assist games, including a 27 & 14 performance against LeBron and the Lakers on February 29.

Morant also stepped up when the game matters the most, scoring 7.3 points in the fourth quarter, which is sixth in the NBA at the time the league stopped play. And among those six, he had the best fourth quarter field goal percentage at 55.9%.

Named as the Kia NBA Western Conference Rookie of the Month for October/November, December, January, and February, he joins Gasol as the only Grizzlies rookies named as Rookies of the Month at least three times. He needed just 48 games to set the franchise record by a rookie in assists.

The Grizzlies almost matched their season total in wins last season, going 32-33 after finishing last year at 33-49. By finishing in eighth place, they earned entry into the seeding round inside the NBA campus at Walt Disney World when the league decided to restart the season.

Collegiate Press Corps Awards highlight best of 2018-19

Collegiate Player of the Year winner Thirdy Ravena with (from left to write) former UAAP-NCAA Press Corps officials Joey Villar of the Philippine Star, Jonas Terrado of the Manila Bulletin, and Cedelf Tupas of the Philippine Daily Inquirer, and Collegiate Press Corps president Reuben Terrado of SPIN.ph.

Heroes from the recently-concluded NCAA and UAAP seasons were honored in the 2019 Chooks-to-Go Collegiate Press Corps Awards presented by SportsVision, last Monday at Amelie Hotel Manila.

The preeminent student-athletes who showcased their talent and workmanship at the highest level of collegiate sports were gathered in the annual event held by the the Collegiate Press Corps, made up of print and online reporters covering the beat.

Ateneo de Manila University’s Thirdy Ravena was hailed as Basketball Player of the Year after leading the Blue Eagles to their second straight UAAP title.

"It's a great feeling to be recognized, especially for an award like this. Lahat ng mga pinaghirapan ko, finally nagpay-off,” said Ravena. "But in all honesty, I owe this all to my teammates. Of course, also the hardworking coaching staff of our team. We've come this far because of them."

Ravena joins the elite company of Mac Belo, Jeron Teng, Ben Mbala, Robert Bolick, and his own brother Kiefer as players who have received the coveted award.

"I also dedicate this award to my family, my friends, and those who have supported us in this journey. Honestly, I'm so surprised. I'm still in shock,” said the second-generation star.

The King Eagle was also named part of the All-Collegiate Team together with San Beda’s Robert Bolick, University of Perpetual Help System Dalta’s Prince Eze, and the University of the Philippines duo of Bright Akhuetie and Paul Desiderio.

It was also an historic night for volleyball as the sport's best individual performers were recognized for the very first time in the event supported by Amelie Hotel Manila, Rain or Shine, NorthPort, World Balance, Arellano University, AXA Team Eds, and NBL.

University of Santo Tomas’ Sisi Rondina and Arellano University’s Regine Arocha became the first recipients of the SportsVision Volleyball Player of the Year award.

Rondina capped off her stellar UAAP career by winning MVP in both beach and indoor volleyball in the same season, all while carrying the Golden Tigresses to their first Finals in eight years. Arocha, meanwhile, took the spotlight in the NCAA after helping the Lady Chiefs capture a three-peat while also winning the Finals MVP award.

The Award of Excellence was then handed out to the National University women's basketball team, as the Lady Bulldogs have run off eighty straight wins to claim five straight UAAP championships. UP's men's basketball team, meanwhile, earned a Special Citation for their inspiring Cinderella run to end their school’s 32-year Finals drought.

Coaches Boyet Fernandez of San Beda and Tab Baldwin of Ateneo were deemed top tacticians in the NCAA and UAAP, respectively, after leading their respective squads to championships.

Other awardees were Pivotal Players Angelo Kouame of Ateneo and Javee Mocon of San Beda as well as Impact Players CJ Perez of Lyceum and Sean Manganti of Adamson.

Thirdy Ravena set to be Collegiate Player of the Year

Thirdy Ravena. Best Player in College Basketball

Thirdy Ravena's season just got a little more memorable, as he will be named as the Collegiate Player of the Year by the Collegiate Press Corps.

The second-generation sensation led Ateneo to back-to-back UAAP titles, averaging 29.5 points, eight rebounds, and 7.5 assists in the finals to clinch the championship.

He then proceeded to be called up for national team duty in the final window of the FIBA World Cup Qualifying, where played a total of 14 minutes combined for Gilas Pilipinas against Qatar and Kazakhstan.

Ravena beat out fellow All-Collegiate Team members Robert Bolick, Prince Eze, Bright Akhuetie, and Paul Desiderio for the nod, which had been previously bestown to the likes of his brother Kiefer, Bolick, Ben Mbala, Mac Belo, and Jeron Teng.

Thirdy becomes the latest awardee to be revealed by the Collegiate Press Corps for the upcoming 2019 Chooks-to-Go Collegiate Press Corps Awards Night presented by SportsVision, which will take place at the Amelie Hotel Manila on Monday, May 27.

Aside from the already mentioned All-Collegiate Team, he joins the likes of Tab Baldwin and Boyet Fernandez (Coaches of the Year), as well as SportsVision Volleyball Players of the Year Sisi Rondina and Regine Arocha as some of the awardees.

The 2019 Chooks-to-Go Collegiate Awards presented by SportsVision is also supported by Amelie Hotel Manila, Rain or Shine, NorthPort, World Balance, Arellano University, AXA Team Eds, and NBL.

The festivities will be streamed LIVE on both the Facebook accounts of Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas and Tiebreaker Times.

All-Collegiate five revealed

Your All-Collegiate Squad this school year

The All-Collegiate Team will be comprised from four schools this schoolyear, as the Collegiate Press Corps has decided to award the nod to the quintet of San Beda's Robert Bolick, Ateneo de Manila's Thirdy Ravena, University of Perpetual Help System Dalta's Prince Eze, and the University of the Philippines' Bright Akhuetie and Paul Desiderio.

Bolick capped off his collegiate career with averages of 16.8 points (on 49.1% shooting), 5.4 rebounds, and 4.8 assists to lead San Beda to a 20-1 season in the 94th season of the NCAA. He also might have produced arguably the most impressive individual game this season with his fifty-point outburst against Arellano.

Ravena averaged 14.9 points, 3.1 rebounds, 1.2 steals, and 1.0 blocks to lead the Blue Eagles to the UAAP title in Season 81 with a 15-2 win-loss record. He took over in the Finals for the Blue Eagles to finish off UP en route to being named as the Finals MVP.

Eze carried the Altas to the postseason with averages of 17.9 points and 16.3 rebounds. His former teammate Akhuetie was named as the UAAP MVP with his 18.9 points, 14.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.1 steals for the Fighting Maroons, serving as the muscle to Desiderio's heart and leadership in their run to the Finals.

The Cebuano would finish with averages of 13.7 points, 6.2 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 1.3 steals.

The five will join their fellow awardees National University women's basketball team (Award of Excellence), Angelo Kouame and Javee Mocon (Pivotal Player), Sean Manganti and CJ Perez (Impact Player), Boyet Fernandez and Tab Baldwin (Coach of the Year), and Sisi Rondina and Regine Arocha (Volleyball Players of the Year).

The 2019 Chooks-to-Go Collegiate Press Corps Awards presented by SportsVision will take place on May 27 at the Amelie Hotel Manila. It is also supported by Rain or Shine, Northport, World Balance, Arellano, and AXA Team EDS.

The ceremonies will be streamed LIVE on the Facebook pages of Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas and Tiebreaker Times.

Baldwin, Fernandez set for Collegiate Coach of the Year nod

Fernandez, Baldwin keep winning

Another year, another coaching nod for both Boyet Fernandez and Tab Baldwin.

Both head coaches led their respective schools to championships this season, contining their recent winning tradition.

The UAAP and NCAA Press Corps has decided to honor both tacticians as the Coach of the Year in the 2019 Chooks-to-Go Collegiate Awards, presented by SportsVision.

For Fernandez, he helped guide San Beda to another NCAA championship, the school's eleventh in the last  thirteen seasons and 22nd overall. Boyet now ties former Ateneo head coach and current Meralco mentor Norman Black with his fifth Coach of the Year nod.

The Red Lions only lost once this season, ending their campaign with fourteen straight wins, capping it with a two-game sweep of Lyceum in the Finals.

For Baldwin, it is his second straight year to be rewarded with the honor, leading Ateneo de Manila University to its tenth title in its history in the UAAP.

Before the season, he also coached the Blue Eagles to a fourth-place finish in the 2018 Jones Cup, a tremendous feat for a collegiate team to pull off against opposition from clubs and national team opposition.

The 2019 Chooks-to-Go Collegiate Awards presented by SportsVision will take place on Monday, May 27, at the Amelie Hotel Manila in Malate. Aside from the host venue, the festivities are also supported Rain or Shine, NorthPort, World Balance, Arellano, and AXA Team EDS.

The latter will also distinguish the University of the Philippines men's basketball team, whose return to the finals after 32 years was considered as the biggest feel-good story of the collegiate basketball season.

They all join a growing list of individuals being honored by the collegiate media:

Cherry Rondina and Regine Arocha (Volleyball Players of the Year)
National University women's basketball (Award of Excellence)
Angelo Kouame and Javee Mocon (Pivotal Players)
CJ Perez and Sean Manganti (Impact Players)

The Collegiate Awards will be streamed on the Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas' Facebook page.

Rondina, Arocha set to become first Collegiate Press Corps volleyball winners

Your first set of volleyball awardees in the Collegiate Press Corps Awards

The 2019 Chooks-to-Go Collegiate Press Corps Awards will be making history on May 27 at the Amelie Hotel, as the scribes have decided to bestow an honor to a couple of volleyball student-athletes for the first time ever, noting the impact of the sport has made, particularly in the women's division.

Set to be honored as the first-ever SportsVision Volleyball Players of the Year are Cherry Ann Rondina of the University of Santo Tomas and Regine Arocha of Arellano University.

Sisi capped off her amazing UAAP career with the Golden Tigresses with a three-peat (and fourth title in five years) in beach volleyball, winning four Most Valuable Player nods. Moving to the indoor for the second semester, she would help end an almost decade-long finals drought by UST, dethroning defending champions La Salle before gamely giving eventual champions Ateneo de Manila a fight in three action-packed games.

The Cebuana became the second woman to be honored as the MVP in both beach and indoor in the same season, following Wendy Semana of FEU eleven years ago. It also the first time a UST player was named as MVP in twelve years.

Regine, on the other hand, denied the University of Perpetual Help System Dalta a crack at the volleyball treble, leading the Lady Chiefs to a series comeback against the Lady Altas to secure a three-peat. She also was named as Finals MVP in back-to-back seasons.

The duo join already announced awardees National University women's basketball (Award of Excellence), Angelo Kouame and Javee Mocon (Pivotal Players), CJ Perez and Sean Manganti (Impact Players).

The 2019 Chooks-to-Go Collegiate Press Corps Awards presented by SportsVision is also supported by Amelie Hotel, Rain or Shine, Northport, World Balance, Arellano, and AXA Team EDS.

The event will be streamed LIVE on the Facebook pages of Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas and Tiebreaker Times.

National University women's basketball to be feted in Collegiate Awards

The longest-running winning streak belongs to these ladies.

It is impossible to not basically not think of the word DOMINANCE in collegiate sports without mentioning the women's basketball team of National University.

Coached by national team mentor Patrick Aquino and led by the collective efforts of senior guard Ria Nabalan, the inside duo of Jack Animam and Rhena Itesi, and prowess of Kaye Pingol and Monique del Carmen, they won EIGHTY straight games on their way to their FIFTH straight UAAP title this season, currently the longest winning streak in Philippine collegiate sports today. And the Lady Bulldogs seem primed to extend that run going in Season 82 and beyond.

The Collegiate Press Corps is set to make history by honoring a feat in women's basketball in the last two editions of the Collegiate Awards, as the Lady Bulldogs will be receiving the Award of Excellence in the 2019 edition.

This comes after former Lady Bulldog and current national team standout Afril Bernardino received a similar honor last year, the first woman to be given an honor in the history of the Awards.

The Press Corps also revealed some of the individual players to be honored as the event, which will take place at the Amelie Hotel on May 27.

The Pivotal Players for this Season are to be awarded to Angelo Kouame of Ateneo and Javee Mocon of San Beda. The former stabilized the interior for the Blue Eagles on his way to becomines the UAAP Rookie of the Year, while the latter's reliability all season long aided the Red Lions to claiming the three-peat and the Finals MVP.

The Impact Players for this Season are to be awarded to CJ Perez of Lyceum and Sean Manganti of Adamson. The former powered the Pirates to back-to-back finals appearances in his final season before becoming the top overall pick in the PBA Draft, while the latter served as the difference-maker for the Soaring Falcons as they made their return to the Final Four this season.

The 2019 Chooks-to-Go Collegiate Press Corps Awards presented by SportsVision is also supported by Amelie Hotel, Rain or Shine, Northport, World Balance, Arellano, and AXA Team EDS.

The event will be streamed LIVE on the Facebook pages of Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas and Tiebreaker Times.

Collegiate Awards set to honor season's best and brightest

Ravena, Bolick set to lead cast of awardees

With the athletic school year already completed, it is time for the best and brightest collegiate standouts to be feted at the 2019 Chooks-to-Go Collegiate Press Corps Awards, presented by SportsVision.

Conducted annually by the different print and online media outfits covering both the NCAA and the UAAP, the 2019 edition takes place on May 27 at the Amelie Hotel Manila in Malate.

Leading the cast of outstanding student-athletes to be feted are the men's basketball teams of Ateneo and San Beda, who both impressively clinched their respective league titles this season. The Blue Eagles took care of business against upstarts the University of the Philippines to retain their UAAP title, while the Red Lions remain the standard of excellence with eleven titles in the last thirteen seasons, including the last two against Lyceum.

Of course, certain individuals will also be honored for their breakout performance and achievements with their respective special awards.

The 2019 Chooks-to-Go Collegiate Press Corps Awards presented by SportsVision is also supported by Amelie Hotel, Northport, World Balance, and AXA Team EDS. The event will be streamed LIVE on both the Facebook pages of Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas and Tiebreaker Times.

Collegiate Mythical Team revealed

Among the awards to be revealed by the UAAP-NCAA Press Corps in the Chooks-to-Go Collegiate Basketball Awards is the composition of the Mythical Team.

Leading the cast of said Mythical Team are Robert Bolick and Thirdy Ravena, who were key cogs for San Beda and Ateneo, respectively, in their successful runs to their championships.

The former was not duly recognized by the NCAA due to the Leyte native having to observe a one-game suspension, but his contributions for the Red Lions during the Finals against an undefeated Lyceum team were not about to go unnoticed.

The latter, on the other hand, stood out with his numbers and his leadership in helping the Blue Eagles end a five-year title drought. He was ably aided by the third man picked to be in the Mythical Team, floor general Matt Nieto.

Completing the squad are the Most Valuable Players of the UAAP and NCAA, Ben Mbala and CJ Perez.

The 2016 Player of the Year by the UAAP-NCAA Press Corps was a man among boys once again in helping La Salle make a return trip to the Finals, while Perez anchored the rise of Lyceum from the depths of mediocrity to the first 18-0 record in the history of the NCAA, while also clinching the PCCL title.

Out of these five individuals, the Collegiate Player of the Year will be selected during the ceremony, which is backed by Chooks-to-Go, The Bayleaf Intramuros, and Cherrylume.

Pasaol, Bernardino to be cited in Collegiate Basketball Awards

A couple more ballers are set to be cited for their outstanding feats this past season at the 2018 Chooks-to-Go Collegiate Basketball Awards.

Organized by the UAAP-NCAA Press Corps and supported by Chooks-to-Go and The Bayleaf Intramuros, the ceremony will have special Awards being bestown upon Alvin Pasaol of the University of the East and Afril Bernardino of National University.

Pasaol will receive the Breakout Player award, highlighting his emergence as one of the most prolific scorers currently in the collegiate scene. This was best illustrated by his 49-point explosion for the Red Warriors against then-defending champions La Salle back in October.

Bernardino, on the other hand, will receive the Award of Excellence for her contributions to women's college basketball. The three-time UAAP MVP helped the Lady Bulldogs in clinching three straight UAAP titles, and although she already maxed out her eligibility this past season, Afril helped NU claim the inaugural 3x3 title alongside Annick Tiky, Jack Animam, and Ria Nabalan this past March.

Also set to be awarded are the Lyceum Pirates, who will be receiving a Special Citation for their inspiring turnaround in NCAA Season 93. Perceived as league cellar-dwellers in the past few seasons, Lyceum under head coach Topex Robinson would pull off an unprecedented sweep in the eliminations, completing the first 18-0 record in the current iteration of the league. Although they fell short of clinching the championship against San Beda, Lyceum ruled the subsequent Philippine Collegiate Champions League, which brought together the outstanding schools from the different collegiate leagues around the country.

Collegiate Basketball Awards set tonight

The best and the brightest of this past collegiate season for both the UAAP and NCAA will be recognized by the collegiate sports media tonight, with the Collegiate Basketball Awards set to place at the Montgomery Place Social Hall in E. Rodriguez Ave., Quezon City.

Backed by SMART, Accel, Mighty Sports, MJM Productions, and Chooks-to-Go, the Collegiate Basketball Awards will be highlighted by the presentation of the SMART Player of Year to one of either Ben Mbala and Jeron Teng of La Salle, Jio Jalalon of Arellano, Javee Mocon of San Beda, and Allwell Oraeme of Mapua. These five players comprise the Mighty Sports Mythical Five.

Other players to be feted in this event include Kib Montalbo of La Salle and Davon Potts of San Beda as Pivotal Players for their contributions with respect to their team's postseasons, Jett Manuel of UP and Raymar Jose of FEU as Super Seniors for their contributions in their respective final collegiate seasons, Papi Sarr of Adamson as Mr. Efficiency, and Paul Desiderio of UP as the Chooks-to-Go Breakout Player.

The night will also recognize Aldin Ayo and Jamike Jarin, who are to be named as the Coach of the Year for leading their respective schools to the championship.

Ayo, Jarin, named as co-Coach of the Year

The UAAP-NCAA Press Corps revealed its first batch of awardees for the Collegiate Basketball Awards.

The Press Corps is rewarding both Aldin Ayo and Jamike Jarin as the Coach of the Year for this past season, as both guided their respective teams to championships.

Ayo continued his tradition of winning tournaments in his first year of charge. One season after taking his alma mater Letran back to the NCAA championship, he then leads La Salle back to the UAAP championship, doing so against archrivals Ateneo. In the process, he became the first coach to win the award for both leagues.

Jarin bounced back from falling short last year for San Beda by reclaiming the championship over Arellano in the NCAA. It would be his last title with the Red Lions, as he has since taken the helm of National University for the upcoming UAAP season.

Notable winners for annual award include Norman Black, Frankie Lim, Eric Altamirano, Boyet Fernandez, Louie Alas, Nash Racela, Ato Agustin, and Juno Sauler.

Also set to be handed out by the Press Corps are the SMART Player of the Year and the Collegiate Mythical Five presented by Mighty Sports. Other notable awards to be given out include Pivotal Player, Impact Player, Super Senior and Mr. Efficiency

The Collegiate Basketball Awards will take place on January 26, with the event being backed by SMART, Accel, Mighty Sports, and MJM Productions.

Collegiate Basketball Awards set tonight

The best and the brightest basketball players from the past collegiate season will be gathered together tonight, as the UAAP-NCAA Press Corps and SMART Sports will have their Collegiate Basketball Awards tonight.

The highlight of the event is the announcement of the SMART Player of the Year, from which the winner will be based from the Collegiate Mythical Five (Kiefer Ravena, Allwell Oraeme, Mac Belo, Kevin Ferrer, Scottie Thompson) that has already been revealed to the public.

Other awardees to be feted by the media covering the collegiate beat are:

Aldin Ayo and Nash Racela (Coach of the Year)
Kevin Racal and Roger Pogoy (Pivotal Player)
Baser Amer, Mark Cruz, and Mike Tolomia (Super Senior)
Art dela Cruz and Ed Daquioag (Impact Player)
Jiovani Jalalon (ACCEL Court General)
Jeron Teng (Gatorade Energy Player)

In addition, Aric del Rosario will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award for his accomplishments, joining Ato Badolato as the only individuals to be bestown this honor.

Hosted by Ceej Tantengco, the Collegiate Basketball Awards are backed by ACCEL Quantum-3XVI, Gatorade, San Miguel Corporation, the Philippine Sports Commission, and the two host schools this season in UP and Mapua.

Daquioag, Dela Cruz, Del Rosario receive nods

A couple of graduating players and a legendary coach will be cited by UAAP-NCAA Press Corps at the Collegiate Basketball Awards tonight.

Art dela Cruz of San Beda and Eduardo Daquioag of the University of Santo Tomas will be receiving the Impact Player award, as they became two of the best players in the collegiate scene this past season, helping their respective schools to runners-up finishes.

Daquioag showed marked improvement in his final season for the Growling Tigers, as head coach Bong dela Cruz unleashed his scoring prowess on opposing teams, averaging 16.4 points.

Dela Cruz led the Red Lions in scoring, rebounding, and assists, averaging 19.72 points, 11.39 rebounds, and 6.22 assists.

The sports scribes are also honoring Aric del Rosario with the Lifetime Achievment Award, the second person to be bestown this nod, following Ato Badolato. Del Rosario is being cited for his contributions as coach of both UST in the UAAP and Perpetual in the NCAA.

Also being feted with special citations in the event are Jiovani Jalalon of Arellano (ACCEL Court General) and Jeron Teng of La Salle (Gatorade Energy Player)

Supporting the College Basketball Awards are SMART Sports, ACCEL Quantum-3XVI, Gatorade, the University of the Philippines, Mapua Institute of Technology, San Miguel Corporation, and the Philippine Sports Commission.

Collegiate Press Corps reveals Mythical Five

A senior and a first-year foreigner lead the batch of players who were selected as the Collegiate Mythical Five for this season's Collegiate Basketball Awards.

Kiefer Ravena of Ateneo and Allwell Oraeme of Mapua highlight the list of honorees, after being named as the MVP by their respective leagues. Joining them are Mac Belo of Far Eastern University, Kevin Ferrer of the University of Santo Tomas, and Perpetual's Scottie Thompson.

Ravena claimed his second consecutive MVP with an eliminations average of 18.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, 4.9 assists, and 1.2 steals, helping Ateneo make it to the Final Four on his final season.

Oraeme's impact for the Cardinals was immediate, averaging 16.33 points and 20.28 rebounds, while adding 1.61 assists and 2.94 blocks in the eliminations. His Rookie-MVP performance helped power Mapua to their first Final Four appearance in five seasons.

Belo averaged 12.7 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.3 assists for the Tamaraws in the eliminations, then raised it in the postseason, averaging a double-double (16.8 points and 10.3 rebounds) to go along with 1.3 blocks in helping FEU claim the championship.

Ferrer blossomed into a collegiate superstar, finishing second in the MVP race with an average of 17.9 points, 8.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists and almost one steal in the eliminations. Basketball fans will surely remember his memorable Game 2 performance in the finals, torching the Tamaraws for 29 points.

Although the Altas missed out on the NCAA Final Four race, Thompson wowed the Pinoy basketball world by nearly averaging a triple-double, finishing up with 14.22 points, 11.11 rebounds, and 8.72 assists, while adding 1.33 steals.


It is from these five players that the SMART Player of the Year will be determined, which will be named tonight.