Castro heads nominees for conference best cager

MANILA, Philippines - Six-year pro Jayson Castro has emerged prime candidate for the coveted Best Player of the Conference award after leading Talk n Text to its third straight all-Filipino finals.

Also contending for the award to be handed out before Game Four of the Talk n Text-Rain or Shine titular series are Petron Blaze’s do-it-all forward Arwind Santos, Alaska super rookie Calvin Abueva, Meralco fireball Sol Mercado and Talk n Text top forward Ranidel de Ocampo.

Narrowly missing the candidates list are gunners Mark Caguioa, Jeff Chan, James Yap and Larry Fonacier, former league MVP Kelly Williams and Rain or Shine’s vastly improved forward Jervy Cruz.

Santos, Abueva, Mercado, Castro and De Ocampo made the list after as the top five placers in the stats race through the PBA Philippine Cup semifinal round where Talk n Text and Rain or Shine knocked out Alaska and San Mig Coffee, respectively, to arrange a championship showdown.

By average, Santos wound up No. 1 with 35.1 statistical points (SPs) per game, followed by Abueva (31.0), Mercado (30.3), Castro (29.6) and De Ocampo (27.8).

Chan finished seventh at 27.61 though he collected the most number of SP total with 490 in 23 outings followed by Abueva’s 488, Cyrus Baguio’s 483, Cruz’s 480, Santos’ 472, Jayvee Casio’s 455, Yap’s 441, Castro’s and PJ Simon’s 437 each, Williams’ 427 and Mercado’s 425.

Santos and Abueva were the only players to average double-double numbers with the former delivering 17.4 points and 12.0 rebounds an outing and the latter piling up 14.5 markers and 10.6 boards a game.

Mercado led all comers in scoring with 19.1 points per game while Castro and De Ocampo stood out as the best performers of the most dominant team in the conference.

Baguio, the Alaska Aces’ top gun, was in the top five through the quarterfinals but was bumped off by De Ocampo at the end of the semis.

Being just the two BPC candidates in the finals, Castro and De Ocampo may have a friendly side showdown as they battle the Elasto Painters for the crown.

Through the semis, Castro averages 15.6 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.7 assists while De Ocampo norms 12.9 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.7 assists.  

Among the candidates, only Santos has won a BPC award, emerging the winner in the 2010-11 Governors Cup. 

Santos and De Ocampo were members of the league’s Mythical First Five while Castro made the Mythical Second Team last season.

Castro has been among Talk n Text’s leading stars since his entry in the league as the third pick in the 2008 draft. He was the winner of the Mr. Quality Minutes award in 2009 and 2011 and shared the Finals MVP plums with Jimmy Alapag in the 2011 Philippine Cup and the succeeding Commissioner’s Cup.