Stephen Holt was simply a cut above the rest in the PBA Season 48 Rookie of the Year race.
It took some time, but Stephen Holt is proving his worth as the league’s next superstar.
Holt emerged as the runaway leader for the PBA Season 48 Rookie of the Year race after a bounce-back performance in the second half of the season.
In the All-Filipino Conference, the 32-year-old put up 21 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 6.6 assists while shooting 52% from the field, further solidifying his spot as one of Terrafirma Dyip's main guys moving forward.
That was a stark improvement from his conference debut in the Commissioner’s Cup where he registered a decent 12.1 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.6 assists.
By the end of the season, Holt led all the freshmen in scoring, assists, and steals and is currently at no. 6 in the MVP standings.
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Stephen’s rise to the ROTY ladder was no shock as he produced his best season yet in the Philippine Cup, helping Terrafirma end an eight-year playoff drought after reaching the quarterfinal round.
They even pushed the powerhouse and top-seed San Miguel Beermen to their limits, nearly overcoming a twice-to-beat disadvantage before falling in the second do-or-die game.
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Meanwhile, Northport's Cade Flores is behind Holt after averaging 10.1 markers, 7.5 boards and 2.5 dimes in the Philippine Cup, amassing a total of 23.3 SPs.
Adrian Nocum (21.8 SPs) of the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, Ken Tuffin (21.5 SPs) of Phoenix LPG Fuel Masters, and reigning top 2 overall pick Christian David (17.8 SPs) of the Blackwater Elite rounded-up the top five.