TENORIO IS BPC WINNER; DOZIER CLAIMS BOBBY PARKS TROPHY
LA Tenorio hit another big stride in his personal ride, winning the 2013 PBA Commissioner’s Cup Best Player of the Conference plum.
The 5-foot-8 playmaker out of Ateneo, a seven-year PBA veteran, pocketed a first BPC award in his second conference with Barangay Ginebra.
He became the fourth Ginebra player to win a BPC trophy as he topped Alaska players Calvin Abueva and Jayvee Casio, Globalport’s Gary David and Talk n Text’s Jayson Castro for the coveted award.
Tenorio foiled Castro’s bid for back-to-back BPC citations and Abueva’s hopes to win it in his rookie year, adding the BPC plum to his 2010 Most Improved Player award, 2010 Mythical First Team membership, 2010 Fiesta Conference co-Finals MVP honors and 2012 Jones Cup MVP trophy.
Carrying Ginebra on his shoulders with Mark Caguioa sidelined by an injury, Tenorio won the balloting among players, media and PBA officials by a landslide and thus pulled away from Abueva after a tight stats derby.
Tenorio totaled 1125 points to Abueva’s 861, Casio’s 514, Castro’s 416 and David’s 402 and thus became the fourth Ginebra player to win the BPC race after Eric Menk, Jayjay Helterbrand and Caguioa.
Alaska’s Rob Dozier also won the Best Import award in runaway fashion.
With 1233 points, Dozier became the first recipient of the Bobby Parks Trophy, topping Ginebra’s Vernon Macklin (926), San Mig Coffee’s Denzel Bowles (644) and Talk n Text’s Tony Mitchell (515).
Tenorio and Dozier were awarded their trophies moments before Game Three of the Alaska-Ginebra finale at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Tenorio and Abueva ended in a virtual dead heat in the statistical points derby, averaging 28.3 and 28.5 statistical points a game.
The Ginebra sentinel finished with the highest SP total of 480 points but the Alaska top freshman got a slightly better SP average on the strength of a high 150 won-game bonus points.
Tenorio averaged 13.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 1.9 steals and 0.1 block while Abueva normed 11.7 points, 8.9 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.7 steal and 0.7 block through the semis.
In good sportsmanship gesture, Abueva gave Tenorio an applause after the announcement of the BPC winner. (SB)
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