Rookies among top UAAP scorers, MVP candidates

The first round in the UAAP cage wars is over, and a handful of players have stood out. Meet the top five scorers of the league, all coming from different universities. Ray Parks (National University, 17.1ppg) Ray Parks Jr. has scoring in his blood. His father is Bobby Parks, one of the greatest imports to play in the PBA (once averaging 53 point per game). Bobby married a Filipina and settled in the Philippines. Despite a letter of intent to play at the US NCAA powerhouse Georgia Tech, Ray chose to stay home and play at National University where his dad works in the athletic program. The prized recruit immediately showed potential, contributing points, rebounds and everything else in between to the team. However, it hasn’t proven enough as the team often chokes in the end game. The Henry Sy-backed school is currently tied with University of the Philippines at sixth/seventh place – a stunner for a lot of basketball fans who thought the overhauled basketball program and the Parks-Mbe tandem would be enough to push the team to the Final Four. Jeric Fortuna (University of Santo Tomas, 16.1ppg) The UST Growling Tigers have yet to show dominance since their championship in 2006. Gone are the days when they had the trusty Jervy Cruz under the basket to take care of offense. This new breed of tigers thrives beyond the arc, and probably their most efficient shooter today is veteran Jeric Fortuna. Sparked by his barrage of threes against NU, Fortuna has steadily been the scoring option especially come crunch time. With their stint in the PBA D-League, Coach Pido Jarencio is hoping his team would mature just in time for the UAAP semis. They are currently at fifth place with a 3-4 win-loss record. Alex Nuyles (Adamson University, 15.4ppg) Over the off-season, a lot of people were wondering what happened to Alex Nuyles’ shooting. He wasn’t delivering his usual monster numbers in the early games of the PBA D-League which the team also joined. Fortunately for Adamson fans, he only had a shoulder injury back then. Now Nuyles is back in shape and the Falcons are looking better than ever. With an intact lineup and more team chemistry and experience, Coach Leo Austria is eyeing a Finals appearance this year. Currently pegged at second place, Adamson almost beat top seed Ateneo in their opening game. Yes, the Falcons are UAAP Finals material this year. They will no longer concede to be the lesser birds. RR Garcia (Far Eastern University, 15.1ppg) There have been a handful of head-shaking moments with the FEU Tamaraws this season. From Finals contenders last year, they slipped to third/fourth place where they’re tied with the fresh legs of La Salle. Charge it to pressure from the FEU diehards or the change in coaching staff, but they definitely have some major adjusting to do in the second round if they want to secure a championship ticket. Good thing they still have reigning UAAP Rookie of the Year Terrence Romeo and more so, the reigning Most Valuable Player RR Garcia. Garcia continues to be the go-to guy whether they’re up by 10 or trailing by 10 – undoubtedly the lifeline of the Tamaraws. Kiefer Ravena (Ateneo de Manila University, 14.6ppg) The expectations can always be daunting when you’ve been dubbed the “Phenom." Right out of high school, Kiefer Ravena was given the rare opportunity to start for the Ateneo Blue Eagles. While some fans were disappointed with his collegiate debut, all doubts have been set aside after he pumped in 24 points in their match against archrival La Salle. “Before a game, I don’t look to score. It just happens," says Ravena. “And it’s something to maintain knowing alam ng mga tao na kaya ko umi-score." Asked if he feels he gets enough touches of the leather, he quickly replies, “Oo naman! As a rookie, sobra. I’m just very thankful that my teammates trust me with the ball." Undefeated defending champion Ateneo swept the first round and is now the team to beat in the UAAP. Rookies in the MVP race Two rookies are among the top five scorers, and two are among the three rookies leading the UAAP MVP race. Blue Eagles Ravena and Greg Slaughter are a toss-up for the top two, while Bulldog Parks is a third choice for the MVP award. (Click here for early contenders for UAAP MVP award) Even though he is not among the top five scorers, Slaughter dominates the boards and defense for the Blue Eagles. With stints in the Pilipinas Smart-Gilas team and the PBA, the experienced Fil-Am is the best big man in the league. There is little dispute that this is probably the best rookie crop in the UAAP in the last decade. Parks and Ravena, two freshmen who have been compared incessantly even before the season started, are both good enough to play US college ball. However, Ravena says that he couldn’t care less that Parks is ahead in the points-per-game front. “Walang inggitan sa’min ni Ray Parks. Tsaka ang importante kami ang nananalo. Team sport pa rin kasi siya," he says. Championship talk aside, the race for the individual awards is on and the competition is fierce. Think Parks, Ravena, Slaughter, Arnold Van Opstal, Norbert Torres and Kevin Ferrer. With the way they’re playing, it is not far-fetched to have a rookie MVP this season. -- OMG/HS, GMA News