Who’s your Justin, Arana or Baltazar? Which has gone better, Diliman-to-Taft or Taft-to-Diliman? These are just a couple of questions we try to answer week-by-week in… Tiebreaker Times’ Pound-for-Pound Rankings!
This weekly list hopes to rank the best of the best players in both the NCAA and UAAP, using a formula accounting for points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks, three-pointers made, turnovers, and games played, while also giving importance to wins or losses, weighted against their opponents.
So who turned in the strongest of showings from April 17-24? Let’s get to it, shall we?!
10 – ANGE KOUAME – ATENEO DE MANILA UNIVERSITY
AVERAGES IN THREE GAMES THIS WEEK: 13.3 points, 8.7 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.3 blocks, 1.3 turnovers
RANKING IN OFFICIAL MVP RACE: 1st
Yes, the MVP frontrunner is not the TBT P4P frontrunner. Without a doubt, Ange Kouame’s season totals will still have him atop the heap in terms of top individual awards, but our weekly exercise has him “just” inside the top 10. Not bad, not bad at all, as what the naturalized Filipino center has over all his peers here is consistency, brutal consistency, game-in and game-out effectiveness, and, well, Ateneo’s perfect record.
9 – SCHONNY WINSTON – DE LA SALLE UNIVERSITY
AVERAGES IN THREE GAMES THIS WEEK: 22.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.7 steals, 1.3 three-pointers made, 3.0 turnovers
RANKING IN OFFICIAL MVP RACE: 24th
Schonny Winston is no one-hit wonder. While he did need a couple of contests to follow up his impactful debut, he did it with a 33-point outburst, and then just kept his foot on the pedal. The Fil-Am guard’s efficiency needs a bit more work, but many of his ill-advised shots are just a result of a halfcourt offense that gets bogged down with indecisiveness from Evan Nelle or Mark Nonoy as well as sometimes ineffectiveness from Justine Baltazar.
8 – BRIAN LACAP – MAPUA UNIVERSITY
AVERAGES IN TWO GAMES THIS WEEK: 13.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 2.5 steals, 2.0 three-pointers made, 1.5 turnovers
RANKING IN UNOFFICIAL MVP RACE: Outside top 10
In a season full of surprising breakout players, Brian Lacap may very well be the most surprising of all. Sixth or seventh in the pecking order when one thinks about Mapua in the offseason, he’s now one of the two or three best players for the Cardinals. He’s just the table-setter the finals hopefuls need, and his playmaking skillset is a snug fit next to workhorse Warren Bonifacio and clutch performer Paolo Hernandez.
7 – CARL TAMAYO – UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES
AVERAGES IN THREE GAMES THIS WEEK: 16.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.0 steals, 1.3 blocks, 1.3 three-pointers made, 2.3 turnovers
RANKING IN OFFICIAL MVP RACE: 4th
It took time, and that’s ok, but Carl Tamayo is now taking out all the weapons in his arsenal. Inside shots. Outside shots. Rebounding. Defense. It’s now all coming together for UP’s modern big – and his best highlight reel just so happened to come at the expense of one Justine Baltazar. And what’s scarier? He’s a rookie. His build isn’t even at its slimmest and fittest yet. He will continue to improve, that’s for sure.
6 – WILL GOZUM – COLLEGE OF ST. BENILDE
(C) NCAA/GMA Photos
AVERAGES IN TWO GAMES THIS WEEK: 15.5 points, 13.0 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 1.5 steals, 3.0 blocks, 1.0 turnovers
RANKING IN UNOFFICIAL MVP RACE: 4th
Will Gozum has been freed. He is now “Free Willy.” And what a sight it is to see. The double-double machine who once helped carry Mapua (then Malayan) to the mountaintop in the NCAA Juniors is now providing the paint presence CSB has long lacked. He is a force down low and on the glass once more, but is also showcasing newfound skills of perimeter and midrange shotmaking.
5 – JEROM LASTIMOSA – ADAMSON UNIVERSITY
AVERAGES IN THREE GAMES THIS WEEK: 18.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 2.0 steals, 1.7 blocks, 1.3 three-pointers made, 2.7 turnovers
RANKING IN OFFICIAL MVP RACE: 7th
Adamson is, all of a sudden, rolling in the second round of the UAAP and much of it is all because their engine, Jerom Lastimosa, is rolling. Doing it all, making his presence felt all over, and finally, fortunately, coming through in the clutch, he finally has wins to match his all-around numbers. Keep doing just that and the best point guard, arguably, in college can come for the big boys with all their double-doubles, sooner than later.
4 – JUSTIN ARANA – ARELLANO UNIVERSITY
(C) NCAA/GMA Photos
AVERAGES IN THREE GAMES THIS WEEK: 13.7 points, 18.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 3.0 blocks, 5.0 turnovers
RANKING IN UNOFFICIAL MVP RACE: 3rd
All the numbers say that Justin Arana is the best big in the NCAA – and, perhaps, all of college. Accounting for game results, weighted against Arellano’s opponents, though, it’s crystal clear his big numbers have impacted his stat line, but not the Chiefs’ win column. Maybe, just maybe, a critical triumph over fellow play-in hopeful EAC is the beginning of the turning of the tide, and his monster numbers will now be accompanied by convincing victories.
3 – PAOLO HERNANDEZ – MAPUA UNIVERSITY
AVERAGES IN TWO GAMES THIS WEEK: 15.5 points, 10.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 2.0 steals, 2.5 three-pointers made, 2.0 turnovers
RANKING IN UNOFFICIAL MVP RACE: Outside top 10
Paolo Hernandez’s power placement in this week’s rankings is buoyed by Mapua’s convincing victory vs. San Beda. Putting the first blemish on the Red Lions’ erstwhile perfect ledger, all while pounding in a 14-point, 13-rebound double-double will have anybody set up for success. But that’s not all, the big-bodied wing has actually been consistent as the closer for the, all of a sudden, title-contending Cardinals.
An outside threat with the smarts for when to bring it inside as well, Hernandez is Mapua’s go-to guy for whenever they need a basket. And when he gets more and more experience in bigger and bigger games – as well as gets leaner and meaner – he will only prove his clutch credentials even more.
2 – JUSTINE BALTAZAR – DE LA SALLE UNIVERSITY
AVERAGES IN THREE GAMES THIS WEEK: 15.7 points, 13.7 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 1.7 steals, 1.0 blocks, 1.0 three-pointers made, 1.7 turnovers
RANKING IN OFFICIAL MVP RACE: 3rd
Let’s get this out of the way, first and foremost: La Salle stalwart Justine Baltazar was outplayed by UP rookie Carl Tamayo in their most recent game. Yes, Baltazar still put up 16 and 10 and his effort was never in question, but his impact was negated by Tamayo’s two-way brilliance. However, that loss still put on display the many reasons why the Green Archers’ pillar is said to be the most PBA-ready collegiate player: a sturdy build, a strong and still-improving skillset, and a steady presence.
Oh, and before bowing to the Fighting Maroons, the 6-foot-7 Taft tower had for himself a 14-point, 22-rebound double-double. If more of his shots just fall – meaning, he needs to take better ones – then Baltazar will only remain a consistent contender in our rankings.
1 – JM CALMA – SAN SEBASTIAN COLLEGE-RECOLETOS
AVERAGES IN TWO GAMES THIS WEEK: 25.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 3 three-pointers made, 2.5 turnovers
RANKING IN UNOFFICIAL MVP RACE: Outside top 10
Aaand at 1, it’s a surprise – a pleasant surprise, but a surprise nonetheless! San Sebastian has become kind of forgotten (but nonetheless dangerous) this season, even more so the Golden Stags’ captain and main man in JM Calma. With a career 26-point, 11-rebound, three-assist performance in a win against JRU, however, spectators and opponents alike will be taking more notice of the 6-foot-6 big from now on.
What’s more impressive about the best game of his young career is how he drilled five long-range missiles, a much-welcome new weapon for a player known to be an enforcer-type who makes his living right under the rim and on the boards. If he keeps his stroke just as sweet, Baltazar and Arana may very well have a new challenger to the throne of best young big.
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