Alapag captures 1st BPC award

JIMMY ALAPAG of Talk ‘N Text won the PBA Commissioner’s Cup’s Best Player of the Conference award over Barangay Ginebra gunslinger Mark Caguioa yesterday.

Alapag, who received the award in simple rites before last night’s Game 4 of the title series, won by just 70 points over the Mohawk-haired Caguioa with his 1,026 total.

The TNT point guard got a huge lift from the media votes after finishing slightly ahead of the Ginebra scorer in the Statistical Points race.

Alapag tallied 243 points from the SP race, 79 points from the players’ votes, 50 from Solar Sports and 150 from the PBA that went with the whopping 504 points coming from the media.

Caguioa had 233 SPs, 104 players votes, 300 from Solar and 75 from the PBA but earned only 244 points from the  media for his 956.

Nate Brumfield of the Gin Kings won the Best Import award pulling away from Talk ‘N Text counterpart Paul Harris after dominating every department for 1,499 total points.

Harris, the hard-working import of the Tropang Texters, tallied 1022, while Alpha Bangura of Air21, which made it to the semifinals against Talk ‘N Text, had 577 in finishing third.

Joe de Vance of Alaska, the statistical points leader after the quarterfinal round, was third in the BPC race with 444 points with Kelly Williams of Talk ‘N Text finishing fourth with 375.

LA Tenorio, a member of the Mythical First Team last season, was fifth with 296, while hard-working Derby Ace enforcer Marc Pingris brought up the rear with 256 total points.

It was the first such award for the 5-foot-8 Alapag, the 2003 Rookie of the Year who became just the fourth Texter to win the honor after Asi Taulava, Willie Miller and Mac Cardona.