‘June Mar Fajardo show’ at 2015 Leo Awards
For the second straight year, the annual PBA Leo Awards will be a “June Mar Fajardo Show.”
Fajardo, the San Miguel Beer prized recruit from down south, is on line for another rich harvest in the PBA season-end awards night, looking cinch to win the coveted Most Valuable Player award and earn spots in the Mythical Selection and in the All-Defensive Team.
It could be another haul of four Leo Trophies if the 6-foot-10 behemoth also bags the Sportsmanship Award.
Last year, Fajardo capped his dominant sophomore year in the local pro league by winning the MVP award, the Most Improved Player citation and inclusions in the Mythical First Five and All-Defensive Team.
The 2015 Leo’s, set before Game Four of the Governors Cup Finals between San Miguel Beer and Alaska Milk Friday at the Big Dome, could also be the night of Stanley Pringle, Jayson Castro, Paul Lee, Greg Slaughter and Arwind Santos.
Pringle is tipped to be the hands-down winner of the Rookie of the Year award while Castro, Lee, Slaughter and Santos may join Fajardo in the Mythical First Team.
Fajardo, Castro and Slaughter are three players who made it to the official list of candidates for the MVP honors.
In contention for the Mythical First and Second Teams are Castro, Lee, Pringle, Mark Barroca, Alex Cabagnot, Marcio Lassiter, Terrence Romeo and LA Tenorio among guards and Fajardo, Slaughter, Santos, Calvin Abueva, Ranidel de Ocampo, Joe Devance, Cliff Hodge, JC Intal, Marc Pingris, Matt Ganuelas-Rosser and Asi Taulava among frontline operators.
The candidates for the Rookie of the Year award are Pringle, Ganuelas, Rosser, Brian Heruela, Chris Banchero and Jake Pascual. But Pringle is the runaway winner in the stats race.
Hodge, Intal, Romeo and Vic Manuel slug it out for the Most Improved Player plum while Fajardo, Lee and Jvee Casio battle for the Sportsmanship Award.
In the race for the All-Defensive Team are Barroca, Ping Exciminiano, Jireh IBanes, Chris Ross and Ronald Tubid among backcourt players and Abueva, Japeth Aguilar, Raymond Almazan, Fajardo, Hodge, Reynel Hugnatan, Gabe Norwood, Pingris, Ganuelas-Rosser, Santos and Sonny Thoss among big men.
Fajardo is set to become the first back-to-back PBA MVP awardee in 14 years, only at 25.
The most dominant player the PBA has seen in years, Fajardo has earlier won two Best Player of the Conference awards in the season.
The former University of Cebu stalwart is to become the league’s fourth MVP winner for two consecutive seasons after Bogs Adornado in 1975-76, Alvin Patrimonio in 1993-94 and Danny Ildefonso in 1999-2000. (SB)
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