La Salle ace bags top college cager plum

HE has become the poster boy of collegiate basketball.

And his exemplary showing both on and off the court has earned La Salle’s Jeron Teng the Smart Player of the Year honor in the 2013 Collegiate Basketball Awards last night at Saisaki-Kamayan Edsa.

“He’s there to motivate his teammates,” La Salle coach Juno Sauler said of Teng, who also earned a spot in the Collegiate Mythical Team in the annual gathering hosted by the UAAP-NCAA Press Corps and Smart.

“I also like his mentality in the end game where he takes it hard to the basket [each time he has a chance to score].”

Teng starred in the Green Archers’ UAAP title romp this season over the University of Santo Tomas Tigers to bag the Finals Most Valuable Player award.

But his class and sportsmanship also stood out in his rivalry with older brother and UST gunner Jeric in a rare battle of star siblings during the title series.

As Jeron Teng copped the night’s top plum, Sauler and San Beda mentor Boyet Fernandez, who steered their teams to the crown right in their first year, also basked in the affair saluting the season’s finest.

Rounding out the Collegiate Mythical Team with Teng were Far Eastern U’s Terrence Romeo, Letran’s Raymond Almazan, San Beda’s Ola Adeogun and National University’s Bobby Ray Parks.

La Salle and San Beda players led the other awardees in the affair backed by Smart Sports, Accel, Gatorade, Meralco, Talk ‘N Text, Filoil Flying V, UAAP Season 76 host Adamson, NCAA Season 89 host College of St. Benilde and the Philippine Sportswriters Association.

Archers Arnold Van Opstal (Pivotal Player) and Jason Perkins (Impact Player) earned special recognitions along with Red Lions Rome dela Rosa (Super Senior), Art dela Cruz (Pivotal Player) and Baser Amer (Impact Player).

UST’s Teng and FEU’s RR Garcia also won the Super Senior, the award given to players who capped their collegiate careers in outstanding fashion.