STILL HOPEFUL
Of the top 5 contenders for the Best Player of the Conference award, ironically, pace-setter Arwind Santos is said to be the long shot to cop the coveted plum.
In the statistical points standings as of the end of the Philippine Cup semis, Santos lords it over the field with his 35.1 statistical points per game, way ahead of second running Calvin Abueva of the Alaska Aces, who has 31.0.
Meralco Bolts’ Solomon Mercado is in third (30.3), followed by the Talk n Text tandem of Jayson Castro (29.6) and Ranidel de Ocampo (27.8).
But because of Petron Blaze Boosters’ failure to move past the Quarterfinals, many believe that the Lubao, Pampanga dribbler will fall short of the award.
“Sayang, kahit ako gusto ko sana si Arwind (sa BPC) kaso by tradition, pambihira yung player na makukuha yung BPC tapos hindi lumaro sa championship,” said Abante columnist Zaldy Perez.
Meanwhile, Santos is still hoping against hope.
“Hangga’t hindi pa na-de-declare, hindi pa ko sumusuko”, beamed 31-year-old Santos.
In fact, Santos won’t back down in his bid, declaring that when the PBA begins to cast ballots, he will surely vote for himself.
“Siyempre, iboboto ko ang sarili ko. Kung pwede nga na pati wife ko, si Yvette, bumoto, gagawin namin”, quipped the former FEU Tamaraw.
But at the back of his head, Santos is also very much aware that he faces stiff competition from rivals playing in the Finals, especially Castro and de Ocampo.
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