Fajardo bags BPC trophy

Fajardo won the best player of the conference trophy. AUGUST DELA CRUZ

June Mar Fajardo of San Miguel Beer, the leader in scoring, rebounding and blocked shots, was runway winner last night of the MyPhone-Best Player of the Conference award of the PBA Philippine Cup over Alaska workhorse Calvin Abueva.

The 6-foot-10 franchise player of the Beermen amassed a total of 1,141 points after topping the statistical points race and winning the media and players’ votes.

Abueva, the 6-foot-1 former San Sebastian ace in the NCAA who beat Fajardo for the Rookie of the Year award in 2012, had a total of 899 points after winning out in votes coming from the league, 150-75, over Fajardo.

The award is the second straight individual accolade won by Fajardo, who won the MVP last season even with San Miguel not winning a single title.

Arwind Santos, the 2013 MVP, was third with a total of 523, while Greg Slaughter of Barangay Ginebra, last season’s top rookie, was fourth with 392.

Alex Cabagnot, acquired by the Beermen during a trade with Globalport, rounded out the top candidates with a total of 390 points.

Fajardo was the unanimous choice of the media, cornering 38 first place votes with Abueva getting 37 second place votes and one first place vote.

Fajardo tallied averages of 19.2 points, 125 rebounds and 2.1 blocks in 15 games in the eliminations and the Final Four, where the Beermen lost just a total of two games and swept Talk ‘N Text in the semifinals.

Abueva, meanwhile, despite his size, was one of only five players in the conference that averaged twin digits in scoring and rebounding, leading Alaska with 15.8 and 11.6, respectively.

Meanwhile, Jimmy Alapag, the former Talk ‘N Text and Gilas Pilipinas stalwart who retired from playing last Wednesday, on Tuesday night declared that the Filipinos will be tough to beat in the Fiba Asia Cup slated in September in China.

Alapag based his statement on the availability of naturalized center Andray Blatche, who helped the Filipinos win a World Cup game for the first time in more than 40 years in Seville, Spain, last October.