Kieffer Alas made history as the second-ever student-athlete from De La Salle-Zobel to win the UAAP High School Boys’ Basketball Most Valuable Player award.
Alas was crowned as the tournament's top individual player prior to Game 2 of the high school basketball finals, Thursday at the Filoil EcoOil Centre.
Aljun Melecio was the first Junior Archer to claim the honor back in UAAP Season 78 (2016).
The 17-year-old, 6-foot-2 winger led all local players in statistical points (SPs), finishing second overall with 91.429 SPs. He averaged 20.07 points, 11.14 rebounds, 4.93 assists, and 1.07 steals per game over 14 outings, steering DLSZ to a 6-8 record for sixth place.
“Masakit to not make it to the Final Four pero at least may positives to this season,” said Alas.
“I'll just use this as fuel for my future.”
Meanwhile, National University Nazareth School’s Nigerian big man Collins Akowe, 19, became the league’s first-ever Best Foreign Student-Athlete after topping the SP race with 105.786 SPs. Akowe dominated with averages of 20.79 points, 19.21 rebounds, 2.71 assists, and 1.79 blocks per game.
The Best Foreign Student-Athlete award is given when a foreigner tops the statistical race in sports such as basketball or volleyball, where performance metrics are recorded.
Joining Akowe and Alas in the Mythical Team are FEU-Diliman’s Cabs Cabonilas (90.071 SPs), Adamson’s Mark Esperanza (76.385 SPs), and UP Integrated School’s Ethan Egea (66.643 SPs).
Cabonilas, an 18-year-old, 6-foot-4 small forward, averaged 17.29 points, 11.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 2.14 steals, and 1.29 blocks per game.
Esperanza, an 18-year-old, 5-foot-11 point guard, posted averages of 16.08 points, 5.77 assists, 4.85 rebounds, and 1.62 steals per game.
Egea, last season’s Rookie of the Year, contributed 13.79 points, 8.29 rebounds, and 4.21 assists per game.
In the girls’ division, University of Santo Tomas’ Barby Dajao became the second-ever MVP. Dajao follows Adamson’s Cris Padilla, who won the award in UAAP Season 82 (2020).
Dajao averaged 15.17 points, 10.17 rebounds, 6.17 assists, and 4.33 steals per game, accumulating 105.5 SPs.
"Thankful ako sa mga awards na ito. Thankful din ako sa family ko at sa teammates ko at coaches ko. Wala ako dito kung wala ang guidance nila. Itutuloy ko lang ito hanggang sa maabot ko pangarap ko," said Dajao, a 19-year-old forward from Bacolod City.
Joining Dajao in the Mythical Team are DLSZ’s Erica De Luna (102.167 SPs), UST’s Rhiane Perez (98.25 SPs), NUNS’s Aubrey Lapasaran (91.167 SPs), and UST’s Katrina Insoy (68.667 SPs).
NUNS’s Zaydhen Rosano, who finished second in the MVP race with 105.167 SPs, was disqualified from receiving a post-season award due to a disqualifying foul she incurred at the end of the elimination round against UST.
De Luna, the first-ever student-athlete to record a quadruple-double in league history, averaged 20.67 points, 9.83 rebounds, 4.83 assists, and 5.17 steals per game.
Perez, who was also the Rookie of the Year, registered 18.5 points, 5.25 rebounds, 4.25 assists, and 4.5 steals per game.
Lapasaran, a 17-year-old, 5-foot-2 guard, tallied 17.67 points, 5.33 assists, 4.83 rebounds, and 4.33 steals per game.
Insoy contributed 13.83 points, 2.83 rebounds, 3.33 assists, and 2.0 steals per game.
The boys' Rookie of the Year honor went to UPIS’s Jhustin Hallare. Hallare, also part of the UAAP Season 87 Junior High School Boys’ Basketball Mythical Team, averaged 11.57 points, 3.71 rebounds, 1.86 assists, and 1.0 steals.
This marks the fourth consecutive season that the top 17-and-under student-athlete playing in his first year in the league hailed from UPIS.
Jean Lorenz Canillas (Season 82), Daryl Valdeavilla (Season 85), and Egea (Season 86) previously claimed the same distinction.