Alaska’s Miller on course for second MVP trophy

Five years after he won the PBA (MVP) plum, flamboyant guard Willie Miller is at it again, leading five other players in hot pursuit for the league’s highest individual honor.

As the 2006-07 season comes to a close, the Alaska Aces guard tops the list of MVP contenders that also includes Talk ‘N Text’s Mac Cardona, Sta. Lucia rookie Kelly Williams, the Air 21 pair of Arwind Santos and Gary David and last year’s winner James Yap of Purefoods.

The new MVP will be named just before Game 4 of the Talk N Text-PBA Fiesta Cup Finals between Alaska and Talk ‘N Text when the league holds its Annual Awards Night to honor the best and brightest in the PBA’s 32nd season.

“This is the time of the year when the PBA honors the best players who shone brightest in the season that is coming to an end,” said league commissioner Noli Eala.

Miller was named league MVP in 2002 while he was still with Red Bull, the same team that made him the top overall pick in the 2001 Rookie Draft.

In vying for a second MVP trophy, Miller hopes to follow in the footsteps of Ramon Fernandez, Alvin Patrimonio, William Adornado, Alberto Guidaben, Benjie Paras and Danny Ildefonso as among the few select players to have won the coveted award twice or more.

The six-foot guard out of Letran  College and Cardona, the rising second-year star who had his breakthrough career this year with the Phone Pals, are actually the  top rivals for the Best Player of the Conference plum to be awarded in Game 3 of the Finals.

Miller and Cardona are also showing the way for possible spots in the Mythical Team selection together with Williams, David, Yap, Santos, Wynne Arboleda, Alex Cabagnot, John Arigo, Jeffrey Cariaso, Ali Peek, Jay-R Reyes, Eric Menk, Yancy de Ocampo, Dorian Pena, Jay Washington, Harvey Carey, Mark Telan, Nic Belasco and Ildefonso.

Williams, the no. 1 pick in the last PBA Draft, is also in top contention for the Rookie of the Year title which he will dispute with Santos, Reyes, San Miguel’s Lewis Alfred Tenorio and Welcoat’s JunJun Cabatu.

Cardona heads the Most Improved Player’s list, with David, Red Bull’s Carlo Sharma, Purefoods’ Peter Jun Simon, Sonny Thoss of Alaska and Ginebra’s Ronald Tubid also in contention.