PBA Press Corps to fete PBA stars, coaches

MANILA, Philippines — Jason Perkins of Phoenix leads the All-Rookie team to be honored during the 25th PBA Press Corps Awards Night on Jan.21 at the Novotel Manila Araneta Center.

The 26-year-old forward, adjudged as the 2018 Rookie of the Year, will be joined by Jeron Teng, Paul Zamar, Robbie Herndon, and Christian Standhardinger in the exclusive team being named by the group of reporters covering the PBA beat.

Two other awards, namely the Breakout Player of the Year and the Game of the Season, are also part of the honor roll celebrating the 25th anniversary of the annual affair presented by Cignal TV.

Recently retired Rain or Shine guard Chris Tiu ended his pro career with a bang as he will be the recipient of the Breakout Player of the Year, while the triple overtime thriller between Barangay Ginebra and Rain or Shine during the Philippine Cup was the hands-down choice as Game of the Season.

The 33-year-old Tiu thrice broke his career-high last year, scoring a career-best 30 points in a 107-101 win over NLEX in the Governors Cup in what proved to be his final game in the league. He finished the season with averages of 10.7 points, 4.0 assists, and 2.4 rebounds.

Meanwhile, the Kings outlasted the Elasto Painters in three overtime periods, 100-92, to clinch a playoff berth in the All-Filipino conference. It only marked the 12th overtime game in the 43-year history of the league and saw guard LA Tenorio play 56 minutes and 52 seconds – the fourth most minutes played all-time among locals.

The list of awardees earlier announced include Stanley Pringle of NorthPort as Scoring champion and the trio of San Miguel’s June Mar Fajardo, Paul Lee of Magnolia, and Vic Manuel of Alaska as recipients of the Order of Merit.

National team coach Yeng Guiao of NLEX leads the All-Interview team that has for members Joe Devance of Barangay Ginebra, San Miguel’s Chris Ross, Mike Digregorio of Blackwater, Standhardinger, and Tiu.

As always, the winner of the Virgilio ‘Baby’ Dalupan Coach of the Year trophy serves as the highlight of the event first held in 1993. Top contenders for the award named after the late legendary mentor are Magnolia’s Chito Victolero, Leo Austria and Tim Cone.

Another traditional award to be given is the Danny Floro Executive of the Year in honor of the late amiable Crispa team owner, as well as the Defensive Player of the Year and Mr. Quality Minutes.

Adding spice to the affair’s 25th year is the naming of the first ever Lifetime Achievement honor and the President’s Award.