ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Editor’s Note: UAAP rules state that a player that just completed residency is not eligible for the Rookie of the Year award. However we have included Mbe and Siungan due to the mere fact they are the leading candidates.
Emanuel Mbe (ADU)
Statistics: 11.4 ppg, 12.4 rpg, 0.9 apg, 0.4 spg, 1.1 bpg
Mbe’s physical tools give him the potential to be a game changer on the defensive end of the court. His offensive game leaves much to be desired but at the same time little can be done once he gets hold of an offensive rebound. As unpolished as his game is, he is still the most dominant big man in the league and has a knack of cleaning up the glass evidenced by his 21 points, 19 rebound against the hapless Green Archers. His ability to produce eye popping rebounding night in and night out has made him the clear forerunner for the Rookie of the Year honors.
Mike Silungan (UP)
Statistics: 13.3 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 2.3 apg, 1.1 spg, 0.3 bpg
The hype that followed Silungan into this season has been building over the last two years as he lived out his residency, and with a 20 point average in pre-season action, the fanfare looked well deserved. However, with UP’s inability to capture their elusive first victory as well as constantly putting up sub-par shooting percentages, the value of Silungan’s scoring is heavily dampened. His auxiliary stats are solid comparable to those produced by MVP candidate RR Garcia, but with a team so dependent on his game, perhaps unfairly, his shot selection will have to improve if he hopes to make a serious run for rookie of the year.
William Stinnett (AdU)
Statistics: 4.6 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 1.3 apg, 0.4 spg, 0.0 bpg
At the halfway mark, the Rookie of the Year race is a two-horse. Unless someone takes a significant leap in the second round, one of the two aforementioned rookies will be bringing home the accolade as the year’s top rookies. Of all remaining rookies, William Stinnett has made the biggest impact thus far. Despite putting up modest statistics, Stinnett has proved to be invaluable for the Falcons, matching up against the opposing team’s best scorer. While his offense leaves much to be desired, Stinnet’s role on a winning team and playing within his own limitations have been enough to secure himself some consideration in the Rookie of the Year race.
