Tenorio snares BPC award over Abueva

GINEBRA’S Player of the Conference LA Tenorio fouls a driving Cyrus Baguio of Alaska in last night’s PBA Finals Game 3. AUGUST DELA CRUZ

LA Tenorio, on course toward a banner year, won the biggest individual achievement of his career in the PBA last night after he was named the Commissioner’s Cup’s Best Player over Alaska’s Calvin Abueva.

The fleet-footed 5-foot-8 point guard, playing just his second conference for the Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings, cornered all but two of 36 media votes and was the players’ choice over the red-hot Alaska rookie, tallying 1,125 points to win handily.

Abueva topped the statistical points race over Tenorio but lost by 180 points to the Ginebra guard in the media votes for 861 total points.

Rob Dozier of the Alaska Aces became the first recipient of the Bobby Parks Trophy, the new name for the conference’s Best Import award.

Dozier, the silent workhorse, topped all departments in the Best Import race and became the first Alaska reinforcement to bag the award since Diamon Simpson in the 2010 Fiesta Conference.

Incidentally, the Aces also won that tournament and are currently leading the Gin Kings, 2-0, in the Commissioner’s Cup Finals. Alaska was gunning for a series sweep at press time.

Casio is third best

JV Casio of Alaska was third with 514 points, followed by Talk ‘N Text point guard Jason Castro and Gary David of Globalport.

Tenorio’s win also made him an automatic candidate for the season Most Valuable Player award like Castro, who was the Philippine Cup Best Player for the champion Tropang Texters.

It was an award befitting Tenorio’s mammoth effort this conference, most especially since he took over the leader’s role for the Kings with reigning MVP Mark Caguioa missing 11 straight games in the eliminations and the playoffs because of a knee injury.

Shipped by Alaska to the Kings at the start of the season in a deal that eventually completed the Aces with the acquisition of Casio and Dondon Hontiveros, Tenorio had 34 media votes and the two that went with Abueva had them voting for Tenorio in second.
Casio, the former No. 1 pick in the Rookie Draft with defunct Powerade, was the overwhelming third choice by the media, getting 35 votes and one second-place vote.

Dozier, meanwhile, garnered 33 first-place votes from the media but tied with Macklin with 14 votes each as far as the players are concerned.

But he still won the players’ votes with four second-place votes.

Denzel Bowles, who engineered San Mig Coffee’s Game 7 win over Talk ‘N Text here last year, was third with 644 points followed by Talk ‘N Text’s Tony Mitchell, who was still able to get 515 points despite playing just three games—all in the semifinals.