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La Salle's Quiambao is Rookie of the Year; Tamayo joins Diouf in Mythical 5
Malick Diouf (10) of the University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons during their match against the De La Salle University (DLSU) Green Archers for the opening games of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 85 held at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City, October 1, 2022. George Calvelo, ABS-CBN News.
MANILA, Philippines -- Malick Diouf of the University of the Philippines (UP) was officially crowned as the Most Valuable Player of the UAAP on Wednesday, ahead of Game 2 of the Season 85 finals at the Araneta Coliseum.
Diouf was pivotal in UP's return to the finals this season, as he averaged 10.79 points, 10.86 rebounds, 2.86 assists, and 1.57 blocks per game for the Fighting Maroons in the elimination round. His 73.857 statistical points (SPs) topped the league.
The big man from Senegal is the second UP player in the past five seasons to win the league's top individual honor. Bright Akhuetie was the MVP in Season 81, when the Maroons made a Cinderella-run to the UAAP finals.
Diouf will now attempt to lead UP to back-to-back UAAP crowns as they face Ateneo de Manila University in Game 2. They had won Game 1, 72-66, last Sunday to move on the cusp of a second championship this year.
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Also honored on Wednesday was Kevin Quiambao of De La Salle University, who won the Rookie of the Year award.
The Gilas Pilipinas forward averaged 11.23 points, 6.54 rebounds, 3.23 assists, and 1.08 steals in his first season with the Green Archers. His 56.615 SPs was good for 14th in the league. Quiambao is the first Archer to win top rookie honors since Aljun Melecio in 2016.
The Green Archers underperformed in Season 85, however, missing the Final 4 after falling to Adamson University in a playoff for the fourth seed.
Joining Diouf in the Mythical Five are: Ateneo's Forthsky Padrigao (71.571 SPs), University of the East's(UE) Luis Villegas (69.857 SPs), Ateneo's Dave Ildefonso (64.929 SPs), and UP's Carl Tamayo (63429 SPs).
Villegas, a one-and-done forward for UE, averaged 13.14 points, 8.07 rebounds, and 3.79 assists per game for the Red Warriors.
Ildefonso led Ateneo in scoring this season with 12.07 points per game on top of 8.29 rebounds and 2.64 assists per contest.
Tamayo, last season's Rookie of the Year, put up 13.79 points and 7.71 rebounds per game for the Maroons.
Padrigao averaged 11.0 points, 5.5 assists, and 4.36 rebounds per game for the Blue Eagles.
Last season's MVP, Ange Kouame, placed third in terms of SPs with 70.786, but missed out on a spot in the Mythical Five as only one foreign student-athlete is allowed in the group.
Also missing out is La Salle's Evan Nelle, who was fifth in SPs with 68.091 and led the UAAP in assists with 5.91 dimes per game. However, the guard was disqualified from receiving individual awards after being suspended this season for unsportsmanlike conduct.
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