Perpetual’s Thompson leads NCAA MVP race

MANILA, Philippines – Earl Scottie Thompson could emerge the first Most Valuable Player award winner from Perpetual Help since Jose Manalo accomplished the feat 15 seasons ago.

The 21-year-old Thompson averaged a fourth-best 17. 33 points, 11 rebounds (fifth best), 5.56 assists (second best) and 2.11 steals (second best) to lead the MVP race after the first round of the 90th NCAA basketball tournament.

Thanks to his all-around game, Thompson has amassed an impressive 57 MVP total statistical points, way ahead of teammate Harold Arboleda's 49.56, San Beda's Nigerian center Ola Adeogun's 47, Arellano U's Jiovani Jalalon's 46.89 and another Perpetual Help standout Juneric Baloria's 43.56.

If he ends up winning the league's highest individual award, Thompson will not only follow on the footstep of Manalo but also become the third Altas to have won the plum since Manalo and Eric Clement Quiday in 1989.

Giving the Las Pinas-based school its first ever NCAA championship is more important though than any individual accolade.

"Winning a championship is the most important thing to me. Winning the MVP award didn't even cross my mind," said Thompson, a proud son of Digos City, Davao del Sur, in Filipino.

Rounding up the top 10 were Emilio Aguinaldo's Noube Happi (43.22) of Cameroon, San Beda's Arthur dela Cruz (42.75), Lyceum's Joseph Gabayni (41.89), Arellano's Dionce Holts (41.78) of the United States and San Sebastian's Bradwyn Guinto (40.67).

La Salle-Greenhills' John Gob leads the juniors MVP race with 56.89 points by averaging a whopping 15.11 points, 17.33 boards and 2.22 blocks a game.

Mapua's Dennel Aguirre, Perpetual Help's Jeszir Sison, Mapua's Noah Lugo and Jose Rizal's Mark dela Virgen are threats to Gob's MVP bid with MVP stats points of 51, 46.38, 45.78 and 45.33, respectively.

Rounding up the top 10 in the high school MVP hunt are Letran's Joshua Gonzales (43.78), Jose Rizal's Jamil Garcia (42.78), Letran's Jerrick Balanza (42) and San Beda's Niko Abatayo (41.67) and Joshua Andrei Caracut (41.33).