1. Greg Slaughter, Center, Ateneo De Manila
2. Kiefer Ravena, Guard, Ateneo De Manila
3. Rey Parks, Swingman, National University
4. Jeric Fortuna, Guard, Santo Tomas University
5. Aldrech Ramos, Center-Forward, Far Eastern University
6. Alex Nuyles, Swingman, Adamson University
7. Nico Salva, Forward, Ateneo De Manila and RR Garcia, Guard, Far Eastern University
8. LA Revilla, Guard, De La Salle
9. Eric Camson, Forward-Center, Adamson University

They were expected to be good, but maybe not this good. Two rookies from reigning champion Ateneo De Manila and one from National University are leading the statistical race for the regular season MVP honors in UAAP Season 74. Both newcomers have come into a veteran-laden roster and have led the Blue Eagles to a clean sweep of the first round, while the NU frosh is trying to keep a young team together. This could very well result in the first rookie-MVP in the open era for the UAAP.

Greg Slaughter, the 7-foot Smart Gilas national team center, is leading the statistical race with 65.1419 points at the end of the first round of eliminations. He is sixth in the scoring race with an average of 14.6 points per game. He comes in third in rebounds with 8.9 rebounds a contest, and also thrid in blocks with 2.1 rejections an outing. Slaughter has made life for the rest of the UAAP simply impossible with his sheer size. He clogs the lane, changes shots, and just plain changes the overall complexion of any game as long as he is on the floor. “We have not had a player with that kind of combination of size and skill in the UAAP,” commented TV game analyst TJ Manotoc.

Coming in right behind the gentle giant is Kiefer Ravena, the second-generation UAAP superstar. Ravena was a former RP Youth Team and high school star, and he has brought his electric game to the senior division. He totaled exactly 62 statistical points after Round 1. He is averaging 14.6 points per game just like Slaughter. He will be remembered for hitting the driving layup that sent their Round 2 encounter versus FEU into overtime, shaking off one of the best ball-benial defenses in the league. He is sixth in assists with 3.1 dimes per game, and seventh in steals with 1.7 heists per contest. Ravena may yet become the first rookie-MVP in the modern UAAP era. “He is indeed a special talent; we are very fortunate to have him. He does so many things at such a high level,” remarked Ateneo team manager Paolo Trillo in one interview.

At a strong third in the standings is Rey Parks, the 6-foot-2 swingman from National University at 57.4286 statistical points. Although his Bulldogs have been struggling at three wins and five losses as of this writing, Parks has had some strong performances. He leads the league in scoring with 17.1 points per game. He is also among the Top 10 in rebounds (eighth at 6.5 per game) steals (fifth at 1.4 per game) and blocks (tenth at 1.1 per game). Parks has become the new superstar for a program bereft of one the last few years. He had a 30-point outburst in their first round win over State University. His overall athletic prowess has made many of the league’s highlight reels. If his Bulldogs find a way into the Final 4 he may yet take the MVP trophy home. Right now though, Parks needs to find a way to give his Bulldogs some kind of winning streak to at least give himself a chance at the MVP trophy. “He’s young so he has a lot of growing to do as a player, but he’s getting there, I think,” said his father Bobby, a seven-time PBA Best Import honoree.

Jeric Fortuna, the sharpshooting guard from Santo Tomas, comes in fourth with exactly 55 statistical points. He is the second-leading scorer in the league at 16 points per game. He is also second-best in assists with 3.8 assists per game, and seventh in steals with 1.1 swipes a contest. Fortuna has been one of the best passers in the UAAP and even led the league last season. That comes as a surprise to a lot of people who thought he was just another tiny shooting guard. His conversion into a fulltime pointguard is simply amazing. Not only has he remained the best shooter in the UAAP, he has also become arguably its best pointguard. “Si Jeric talaga ang leader namin, and I am happy he has responded well to that challenge,” beamed UST head coach Pido Jarencio.

Rounding out the top half of the MVP rankings is FEU center-forward Aldrech Ramos, Slaughter’s former teammate on Smart Gilas. Ramos is an agile and quick 6-foot-6 center-forward holding at fifth place with 54.2857 statistical points. Even in the guard-dominated system of the Tamaraws, he has established his own game. He is second in the league in rebounds at nearly 10 boards per game. Right now though, his Tamaraws are at merely .500 in the standings (4-4). He will need to step up especially on offense for the remainder of the second round after their heartbreaking loss to the Ateneo last weekend.

Adamson swingman Alex Nuyles is sixth in the standings with 53.8571 statistical points. Nuyles was once considered just another stud athlete who could merely run fast and jump high. Now however he has become a more complete player who can score inside and out, defend the other top athletes of the league, and handle the clockwork system of Coach Leo Austria. Nuyles hit the buzzer-beating game clincher against De La Salle over the weekend to lift his Falcons to a cardiac 68-66 victory. “He was always asking for a chance to take a winning shot since the summer, so in that game against La Salle we got him the ball and he delivered,” said Austria.

Reigning MVP Ryan Roose Garcia of FEU and Ateneo veteran Nico Salva are tied in seventh place with identical 51.8571 statistical points each. Garcia is averaging nearly 16 points per game good for second in the league right behind Parks. Salva however has quietly put together averages of over 11 points and six rebounds per game. With the Ateneo spotless at 8-0, he has also gotten won-game points that have allowed him to keep in step with Garcia. Garcia and Salva may meet again either in the Final 4 or the Finals if the Tamaraws can get a good winning streak going in Round 2. Salva’s Blue Eagles so far have the number of Garcia and his Tamaraws. In their two elimination round encounters Salva has put together solid numbers while Garcia has failed to get his team the win.

LA Revilla, the comeback story of Season 74, is eighth in the MVP race with 51.7143 statistical points. Revilla had to sit out over a year with a complicated blood-related disease. That he has returned to UAAP action is no small feat. He is leading the Green Archers in scoring with nearly 14 points per game. He has been the best guard in a guard-heavy roster, setting the offense and leading the break. Right now he has not gotten much help from the rest of his guys. As the starting pointguard, he needs to get more of his teammates involved if his team wants to make the Final 4. There are some reports that say Revilla might be suffering a relapse of sorts with his old illness. That may be what has been hampering him the last couple of games.

Bringing up the rear in ninth place is Adamson power forward Eric Camson with 50.1429 statistical points. Camson is yet another hero in their last game versus La Salle. He hit a jumper to provide just enough breathing room for his Falcons in the face of a fiery La Salle rally. That Camson jumper proved to be enough of a cushion to set up the end-game heroics of Nuyles. Camson has become arguably the best power forward in the league. He can post up, drive, pull up with a jumper and snipe from long range. He crashed both boards with gusto and defends the best post player of opposing teams. He is getting career-high averages almost across the board, and his Falcons are at a solid second place right behind the Ateneo.

All told it looks like it may come down to the Top 3 players in the MVP race. Parks however needs to get his team on a winning run. Slaughter and Ravena aren’t exactly posting eye-popping numbers, but with the Ateneo in the lead and threatening to sweep the entirety of the elimination rounds, they’re getting more won-game bonus points than anybody else in this list. Suddenly that rookie-MVP scenario is looking more and more likely.