UAAP: Janrey Pasaol tops MVP race after elimination round

FEU Tamaraws’ Janrey Pasaol during a game against UE Red Warriors in the UAAP Season 88 men’s basketball tournament. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines—For the first time since 2013, a Far Eastern University standout is expected to take home a UAAP men’s basketball Most Valuable Player award.

At the end of the Season 88 men’s basketball elimination round, Tamaraw sophomore Janrey Pasaol led the statistical points ladder with 81.5 SPs despite missing out on a Final Four spot.

READ: UAAP: Janrey Pasaol focused on trying to win games, not awards

Pasaol will be the first MVP for FEU since Terrence Romeo in 2013.

After 14 games, Pasaol normed 15.43 points, 7.5 assists, 4.14 rebounds and 2.14 steals per game.

Unfortunately, his efforts weren’t enough to will the Tamaraws to a playoff spot. They ended with a 7-7 record.

READ: New UAAP award ensures only locals win MVP honors

La Salle’s Mike Phillips finished second-best in the MVP race with 80.429 SPs. University of Santo Tomas’ foreign student-athlete Collins Akowe placed third with 79.286 SPs.

The league also noted that since Akowe didn’t top the statistical race, he will not be given the Best Foreign Student-Athlete award, a plum introduced by the UAAP this season.

Meanwhile, in the women’s division, National University’s Kaye Pingol led the MVP race with 93.571 SPs. Goodluck Okebata of the University of the East is the leader of the JHS division’s MVP joust with 96.214 SPs.