HOW did Janrey Pasaol come out of nowhere to snag the MVP honors in the UAAP Season 88 men’s basketball tournament?
READ: FEU's Janrey Pasaol is MVP in shocker to end UAAP Season 88 elims
Well, it’s the classic tale of slow and steady wins the race.
Though not as flashy as his peers, Pasaol was a picture of consistency, one that coach Sean Chambers routinely highlighted for Far Eastern U.
Yes, the spotlight may have been shared through the tournament among Kirby Mongcopa, Jorick Bautista, and Mo Konateh, but the Davaoeno guard was always there through thick or thin for the Tamaraws.
But this really didn’t come off left field, as after the first round, Pasaol ranked third in the statistical points (SPs) race with 80.429, trailing Mike Phillips with 84.429 and Collins Akowe with 84.286. Precious Momowei at 80 SPs and Jake Figueroa at 77.429 SPs made up the top five.
University of Santo Tomas may have gone on a slump, but that was when Akowe made his move to pole position, with his 16-point, 16-rebound performance in a skid-busting 109-97 win against University of the East on Nov. 12 enabling the Nigerian rookie to seize the top spot at 83 SPs.
Then, he was on pace to lock that spot up for the remainder of the season, while also running away with the Rookie of the Year award.
Figueroa, sensational with his 17 points, six rebounds, and five assists in National U’s 70-64 escape from the Tamaraws in the same day, also ascended to second place on the list – and the provisional MVP leader after 12 games, in front of idle Phillips with 81.3 SPs in 10 games and Pasaol who slipped to fourth at 80.273 SPs through 11 games.
That would remain the norm, as Figueroa, playing his 13th game of the season, solidified his grip of the top spot with 14 points, seven rebounds, three assists, and two steals in the Bulldogs' 83-74 victory vs. the Red Warriors in Nov. 15 to amass 81.615 SPs.
Pasaol, though, would leapfrog Phillips through 12 games by climbing to third with 79.583 SPs thanks to FEU’s 83-82 stunner over La Salle on Nov. 16 where he had 17 points, seven assists, and one board, against 'Motor Mike’s' 78.75 SPs.
Putting up 21 points and 14 rebounds in the Green Archers' 87-82 triumph over new-age rival University of the Philippines last Sunday, Phillips (79.231 SPs) got the spot back from Pasaol (79.154 SPs), as Figueroa kept up the pace.
Figueroa lets go of baton at last minute
However, Figueroa’s MVP bid took a nosedive after his forgettable showing against the Growling Tigers where he only recorded three points, two rebounds, and two assists in an 80-71 loss on Nov. 23, sending his SPs to 77.286.
Worse for the lead Bulldog is that Phillips and Pasaol still had one more game each to boost their MVP bids thanks to rescheduled games.
Pasaol did not disappoint, stuffing the stat sheet with 13 points, 11 assists, six boards, and five steals in the Tamaraws' gutsy 81-79 decision over UST on Wednesday to register a strong final SP count at 81.5.
Akowe also slipped and basically lost the Best Foreign Student-Athlete award after only notching nine points and nine rebounds in the defeat to go down to 79.29 SPs.
On the other hand, Phillips started off slow, yet even though he recorded 13 points, 16 boards, four assists, and two steals in La Salle’s 78-72 win over Ateneo, he could only get to 80.429 SPs in the end.
Pasaol’s 1.071 statistical points lead over Phillips to cop the MVP plum is actually the closest since Season 85 when Fighting Maroon Malick Diouf (73.9 SPs) won by 2.3 SPs vs. then-Blue Eagle Forthsky Padrigao (71.6 SPs).
And thus, for the first time in 12 years, the MVP is a Tamaraw.
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