For his season-long magnificence, Mapua’s Clint Escamis claimed the award that everybody has expected him to win—the Most Valuable Player plum.
Escamis received his NCAA Season 99 MVP trophy from host Paul Supan of Jose Rizal University in simple awarding rites on Sunday at the MOA Arena that went with the Rookie of the Year award, and a spot each in the First Mythical Team and Defensive Team.
Mapua’s prodigal son thus became the first Cardinal to win the most coveted individual plum of all since Nigerian Allwell Oraeme achieved such a feat eight years ago.
On his way to the several citations he collected, Escamis averaged a league-best 16.6 points and 3.65 steals, 4.1 assists (fourth-best) and 5.95 rebounds that helped the Cardinals claim the No. 1 seed with a 15-3 record after the double-round elimination.
In all, Escamis has accumulated a Player Average Value of 53.16 in besting Lyceum of the Philippines University’s Enoch Valdez who had 44.82 PAV.
Joining Escames and Valdez in the First Team are Jun Roque of University of Perpetual Help, JP Maguiliano of Emilio Aguinaldo College and Warren Bonifacio of Mapua.
He could have won the Defensive Player of the Year honor too but ended up third in that race behind eventual winner Romel Calahat of San Sebastian and Valdez.
Completing the Defensive squad were Maguliano and Arellano U’s Lorenz Capulong.
Roque, meanwhile, was named as Most Improved Player of the Year while Letran’s Jay Garupil the Fresh man of the Year plum, which was given for the first time by the league for players who came straight from high school.