IN the eyes of University of Santo Tomas coach Pido Jarencio, Karim Abdul is the MVP of the season.
There's no doubt in Jarencio's mind that Abdul deserves the league's top individual honor this UAAP season, which has seen him make an impact in almost all statistical categories and turn the Tigers into legitimate title contenders.
Not bad for a Cameroonian player who walked into the Tigers' practice a couple of years ago seeking a tryout, armed with nothing more than a referral from a friend by Jarencio and a single-minded determination to earn an education in the Espana-based school.
“MVP talaga siya, no question,” said Jarencio. “Double-double na, intimidating presence pa on defense, ganun ka-simple. Bumablangka, nag-iisteal. Sino pa hahanapin mo? No doubt about it, si Abdul ang MVP.”
The MVP award is determined through points accumulated by players through statistics they compiled in a season.
Under that format, Abdul and National University’s Bobby Ray Parks are the top contenders for the MVP plum.
Abdul leads his team in scoring with 16.9 points a game averages a league-best 12.2 rebounds per outing. He is second in blocks with 2.0 a game and, surprisingly, is tied with Parks for first plce in the steals department with 1.5 per game.
His heroics enabled the Tigers to clinch a place in the Final Four with a 10-4 win-loss record in the eliminations.
Parks, seeking for his second straight MVP plum, tops the league in points with an average of 20.9 per game with still a game to play - the Bulldogs' game against Far Eastern University which the board had ordered re-played on Sunday to close out the eliminations.
Parks has also chalked up three 30-point games and is in the top 10 in nearly all statistical categories.
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