4 Phl cagers head ABL MVP derby

MANILA, Philippines - Four Filipino cagers, led by San Miguel Beer stalwarts Chris Banchero and Asi Taulava, are disputing the 2013 Asean Basketball League’s coveted Most Valuable Player (MVP) award.

Banchero, the Beermen’s top scorer, and Taulava, the 40-year-old veteran who plays younger than his age, lead a five-man roster the league has shortlisted for MVP honors.

Also vying for the top individual honor are Froilan Baguion of Sports Rev Thailand Slammers and another Filipino import, Jai Reyes of Saigon Heat. Indonesian-American Mario Wuysang of defending champion Indonesia Warriors is the lone non-Filipino gunning for the prestigious accolade.

The ABL said it will announce the winner of the plum today.

Although he sat out five games due to injury, the Fil-Am Banchero has taken the cudgels in the areas of scoring, assists and steals for SMB, which topped the elims with a 19-3 record spiked by a record 16 consecutive wins. He is good for 16.4 points a game, posting a season best of 26 markers in a game against Thailand last Feb. 13.

Big man Taulava, for his part, has provided the Beermen with veteran savvy and leadership, recording four double-double outputs throughout the season, as he helped the Phl team reach the ABL finals for the second straight year. The Fil-Tongan accounts for 10.9 points and 7.4 rebounds per game, exploding for 26 markers last April 10 against Malaysia.

A former Beerman, Baguion has shown his top notch playmaking skills for losing semifinalist Slammers, recording the league’s first-ever triple double (10 points, 11 assists and 11 rebounds) last April 5 against Saigon. He tops the league in assists with 9.2 per game highlighted by a high of 17 in a Feb. 13 outing while logging a second-best 2.7 steals a match.

Reyes made his mark for injury-plagued Heat, leading his team in assists (six per game) while figuring in the top 2 in steals and scoring. He highlighted a fine season with 26 points to go with five rebounds, five assists and two steals in a May 2 matchup with Singapore.

The MVP of the 2010-11 season, Wuysang issued a strong case for a second award as he produced double figure scores for the Warriors 12 times this season. The US-trained guard averaged 11.9 points with a high of 23 (8-of-9 clip) last April 10 against Thailand.

“There is excellent talent throughout ASEAN, and we are happy the ABL provides a platform for these players to showcase their skills and abilities,” said ABL CEO Anthony Macri.