IN one of the most bizarre twists ever seen in basketball, six players made it to the Mythical Team of the UAAP Season 81 juniors' tournament.
Here's how it happened.
MVP Kai Sotto of Ateneo led the list after collecting 97.0 statistical points, with University of Santo Tomas playmaker Mark Nonoy coming in second with 81.9286 SPs.
Far Eastern University-Diliman sniper RJ Abarrientos, who finished fourth with 61.6429 SPs, also made the cut but - because of the lack of non-guards at the top of statistical list - was listed as forward even if he was a guard.
UST banger Bismarck Lina, who finished seventh with 59.3571 SPs, made the list as the only other non-guard in the Mythical Team aside from Sotto.
The controversy arose in the selection for the last guard spot in the Mythical Team after Nonoy.
Ateneo guard Forthsky Padrigao finished third in the statistical race with 64.6250 SPs, but his eligibility for a spot in the Mythical Team came under question since he played in just eight games after missing most of the first round due to appendicitis.
On the other hand, Adamson guard Joem Sabandal ended up fifth in the stats race with 60.9286 SPs.
Instead of choosing between the two, the board voted that both players qualified for the second guard slot in the season-ending awards, thus giving the honor to both players in an unprecedented move.
Is this the end of the Mythical Five era as we know it? Hope not.
Curiously, no player from Nazareth School of National University made the list, with the highest player in the race being court general Gerry Abadiano at sixth with 60.2857 SPs.
Also, there will be no Rookie of the Year awarded during the ceremonies on Friday, before Game Two of the finals between Ateneo and NU at 3 p.m. at Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan.