Caguioa, Castro PSA basketball awardees
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 02:42:00 01/21/2008
MANILA, Philippines -- Spitfires Mark Caguioa of Barangay Ginebra and Jason Castro of Harbour Centre have been named major awardees for basketball in the 2007 San Miguel Corp.-Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) annual awards rites on Feb. 16 at the SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City.
The duo will be honored by the country’s oldest media organization as the top professional and amateur basketball players in the past year.
Caguioa edged out reigning Philippine Basketball Association MVP Willie Miller for the award won by Purefoods superstar James Yap a year ago, while Castro prevailed over University of Santo Tomas’ Jervy Cruz.
Along with a handful of others, the two cagers will receive their major awards during the PSA Awards Night, also supported by Shakey’s, the Philippine Sports Commission, Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) and Accel.
Already named by the PSA as top jockey was veteran Patti Dilema, while the Horse of the Year award went to Es Twenty Six.
Nicknamed “The Spark,” Caguioa steered the Kings to one of the most improbable Finals comeback in PBA history, rallying the team from a 0-2 deficit to win the prestigious Philippine Cup at the expense of San Miguel Beer.
The 28-year-old guard out of Glendale Community College in the United States ran away with the conference’s Best Player award and was poised to bag a first-ever MVP title when the call for flag and country beckoned.
On loan to the national team that competed in two major tournaments, including the FIBA-Asia Championship in Tokushima, Japan, Caguioa missed the entire season-ending Fiesta Conference.
Castro also took time out to beef up the RP team that won the Southeast Asian Basketball Association (Seaba) Champions Cup in Jakarta and the SEA Games men’s basketball gold in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand.
In between, the former Philippine Christian University standout also powered Harbour Centre to a Finals sweep of the Philippine Basketball League’s Unity Cup over Cebuana Lhuillier while winning a second straight league MVP award.
The other major awardees, including the coveted Athlete of the Year honor, will be selected and announced by the PSA board in the lead-up to the award rites.
Six athletes are vying for the top award, among them pro boxers Manny Pacquiao and Nonito Donaire, billiards’ former dual world champion Ronnie Alcano, golf ace Frankie Miñoza, young chess Grandmaster Wesley So and swimmer Miguel Molina.
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