Cone, Austria take spotlight as PBA press stages awards night

The top performers of the 2019 PBA season and the 2020 bubble campaign get their well-deserved recognition on Sunday during the PBA Press Corps virtual Awards Night at the TV5 Media Center.

Champion coaches Tim Cone of Barangay Ginebra and San Miguel’s Leo Austria join commissioner Willie Marcial and Board chair Ricky Vargas as special guests in the hour-long event presented by Cignal TV.

The special program, hosted by Rizza Diaz and Carlo Pamintuan, will be shown over PBA Rush on Monday (March 8) at 7 p.m.

The awards night will be a two-in-one ceremony as awardees of the previous season stands side-by-side with their bubble counterparts after last year’s scheduled event of the group that covers the PBA beat, was called off at the last minute following the outbreak of the pandemic.

Cone, who steered the Kings to a historic Philippine Cup championship held under a first ever bubble setup in Clark, Pampanga, is the recipient of the Outstanding Coach of the Bubble award, while Austria will be handed out the 2019 Baby Dalupan Coach of the Year award after leading the Beermen to back-to-back titles during the 44th season, including a record fifth straight all-Filipino crown.

Marcial on the other hand, gets the nod for the award Mr. Executive, even as Vargas had been chosen as the 2019 Danny Floro Executive of the Year.

The Bubble President’s Award will be given to all 12 PBA teams for their sacrifices and all-out support to ensure the restart of last year’s Philippine Cup, while the 2019 honoree is none other than Bulakan, Bulacan Mayor Vergel Meneses, who successfully transitioned to public service from being a PBA Most Valuable Player and basketball legend.

Also to be feted with a major award is NorthPort veteran Sean Anthony, who is bestowed as the Defensive Player of the Year (2019).