Rhenz Abando has been formally hailed as the NCAA Season 94 Seniors Basketball Most Valuable Player.
In a ceremony held before Game Two of the Finals pitting Letran and Mapua, the 24-year-old winger out of La Union took the league’s top individual honor.
Abando got 49.88 PAVs, built on his averages of 15.11 points, 6.67 rebounds, 1.89 assists, and 1.44 blocks during Letran’s nine-game rampage of the elimination round.
Besides being the league’s MVP, Abando was also crowned as the league’s Rookie of the Year, becoming the fourth player to achieve the feat after PCU’s Gabby Espinas (2004), San Beda’s Sam Ekwe (2006), and Mapua’s Allwell Oraeme (2015).
Abando also became the 11th Letran basketball player to win MVP after Lauro Mumar (1950), Alex Marquez (1975), Ramon San Juan (1979), Jerry Gonzales (1982), Romeo Ang (1983), Samboy Lim (1984), Ronald Peña (1992), Chris Calaguio (1998), Kerby Raymundo (1999), and Raymond Almazan (2013).
Winning MVP though was not a walk in the park for Abando as he needed to edge out Arellano’s Justin Arana for the top plum.
Topping the PAV race was Arana with a monstrous 58.75 PAV tally.
Arellano and Benilde though were not able to make the Final Four, disqualifying them from the MVP race.
Ambohot (47.22 PAVs), College of Saint Benilde’s Gozum (46.88), and San Sebastian College’s JM Calma (41.77) complete the NCAA’s Mythical Team.
Arana, meanwhile, will end his collegiate career with another Defensive Player of the Year plum after accumulating 20.5 Defensive PAVs.
Completing the All-Defensive team are Gozum (13.56 DPAVs), EAC’s Nat Cosejo (12.17), Lyceum’s Omar Larupay (11.78), Ambohot, and Calma. Ambohot and Calma were tied in the DPAV race with 11.67.
Mapua’s Paolo Hernandez, meanwhile, took the Most Improve Player award. He was no. 35 in the PAV race in Season 95 and shot up to the top 10 this season.
Univeristy of Perpetual Help System DALTA also received the Sportsmanship Award.
