PBA media fete season’s best, Gilas FIBA heroes

MANILA, Philippines - The brightest individual performers, old Philippine team mainstays and the current crop of Gilas-Pilipinas Nationals will be feted on Nov. 12 when the PBA Press Corps holds its Annual Awards Night at the exclusive Wack Wack Golf Club in Mandaluyong.

With the theme “A Banquet of Heroes,” the PBAPC joins the entire professional cage community of the country in honoring the men who have stood out in the PBA Season that passed before they toast Gilas-Pilipinas members for getting the country back into the World Championship stage.

Members of the 1973 and 1986 champion Asian Basketball Confederation teams have been invited as guests of honor in the proceedings that will start promptly at 7 p.m. at Banquet B.

The awarding of the Executive of the Year and Coach of the Year trophies, named after the late Danny Floro and the legendary Virgilio “Baby” Dalupan, respectively, remains to be the highlight of the affair, which will have Sev Sarmenta, Quinito Henson and Erika Padilla as emcees.

The PBAPC has been handing out awards that the pro league does not give, like the Defensive Player of the Year, the Comeback Player of the Year and the members of the All-Rookie Team.

For the second straight year, the Press Corps will recognize the PBA’s Scoring Champ, the player who had the biggest point production average in the past season, and the Accel Order of Merit winner for the player who won the Player of the Week award the most times.

Grand Slam-winning coaches Norman Black of Philippine Cup champion Talk ‘N Text and Tim Cone of Governors’ Cup winner San Mig Coffee are the Coach of the Year candidates together with Luigi Trillo, the rookie bench tactician who guided Alaska to the Commissioner’s Cup title last season.

Team PBA, led by commissioner Chito Salud and past chair Robert Non, has been nominated as candidate for the Executive of the Year award after steering the league to all-time high sales at the box office.

Marc Pingris, also a hero for the Gilas-Pilipinas Five in the 27th Fiba-Asia last August, is the leading contender for the Defensive Player of the Year award, while Calvin Abueva of Alaska and June Mar Fajardo of Petron Blaze are shoo-ins for the All-Rookie Team.