IN the very same season, Far Eastern University has two MVPs in UAAP basketball.
After Janrey Pasaol made the surprise leap over frontrunners like National U's Jake Figueroa and La Salle's Mike Philips in the men's division, FEU-Diliman now also boasts of having the juniors ranks' best player in Cabs Cabonilas.
The 6-foot-5 big ended the elimination round of the boys' basketball tournament garnering a total of 83.286 statistical points (SPs), second only to Ateneo’s Jude Eriobu - who as a foreign student-athlete is deemed ineligible for MVP, even with 99.857 SPs.
“I told Cabs na hindi lang ako maano sa social media, but ako pinakamasaya na sa last year ni Cabs, nakuha niya ang MVP,” said Baby Tamaraws head coach Mike Reyes.
What the first-year shot-caller is most proud of, however, isn’t Cabonilas finishing with averages of 15.79 points, 8.86 rebounds, and 3.79 assists.
Rather, it's the 19 year old's ability to rise within their green-and-gold system.
“Nakuha niya ang MVP by how we play. Hindi sa kanya lagi bola. We move the ball, but na-MVP pa rin siya. The system I wanted to instill, nagagawa namin na MVP pa rin siya. Siyempre, doble ang saya ko no'n,” added Reyes.
And Cabonilas would be the first to agree, crediting not just the teammates he charged into battle with, but also the coaching staff that steered them to the second seed and twice-to-beat.
As he explained, “Actually, important din yung mga teammates ko kasi sila din yung nag-guide sa akin, sila din yung nag-communicate sa akin sa loob, sa outside, lahat. “
“Parang tunay na pamilya ko na din sila. Kung saan kami pupunta, parating kami masaya.”
From key reserve to King (Baby) Tamaraw
Make no mistake, though, the MVP is far from satisfied with the, well, MVP award.
A year ago, Cabonilas and Co. fell in the Final Four at the hands of second seed, twice-to-beat, and eventual champion University of Santo Tomas.
Now, though, it's them who are armed with a playoff bonus against the third-seeded Blue Eagles, powered by Best FSA Eriobu.
And the highs of winning it all back in Season 86, backstopping the likes of Pasaol, Veejay Pre, and Kirby Mongcopa remain as fuel to Cabonilas' fire.
"Siyempre, noong unang championship, bata pa lang ako. Yung role ko, defensive rebound, takbo lang, depensa. Pero sinabihan ako nung pag-graduate nila Janrey na, ‘Ikaw next dyan. Ikaw yung mag-lead sa kanila,’" he shared.
FEU-D is one win away from a return to the finals - and all in all, needs three wins to reclaim the crown it last wore in 2024.
And champing at the bit to do just that is the league's most valuable player.
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