Anyone who ever doubted that this is the best rookie class ever in the modern UAAP should put all those doubts to rest. Three league newcomers dominated the race for the most valuable player award for Season 74. Rey Parks (league best 20 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.1 steal, 1.1 block per game); Greg Slaughter (13.3 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game); Kiefer Ravena (13.1 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.1 asists and 1.5 steals per game) led the statisitcal race through two rounds and 14 games in the eliminations. Slaughter and Ravena were the statistical leaders in Round 1, but Parks put on monster efforts throughout most of the second round to take the lead. Parks is this season’s Most Valuable Player, making UAAP history as a rookie MVP. Ravena was named Rookie of the Year.

Parks, son of seven-time PBA Best Import Bobby Parks, was subject of much talk as to his final college destination. His pursuers included US NCAA Division 1 mainstay Georgia Tech University. Eventually the family decided to go to National University. “We just thought NU would give us the best opportunity for Rey, both academically and in terms of basketball,” said the elder Parks in one interview.

Rey’s introduction to the UAAP was not quite as pleasant as he thought it might be. After a stint on the RP Youth Team along with Ravena, he spent about a year on the NU B Team along with two other Youth teammates, Kyle Neypes and Cedric Labing-isa. He led the Bulldogs B Team, and the initial A Team roster to three titles in the offseason, the University Games championship and two Fr Martin Cup championships. Already loaded with great expectations given his provenance, these earlier accomplishments further boosted the buzz circulating around the younger Parks. When he got to the UAAP it was a different kettle of fish altogether.

Perhaps his rudest awakening came in their two games against reigning champion Ateneo. His Bulldogs dethroned the Blue Eagles in the semifinal of the Fr Martin Cup summer tournament. One can only imagine what it must have been like for Parks and the rest of NU then when Ateneo had as much as a 32-point lead against them in their Round 1 game, and then held them to under 40 points while winning by 22 in their Round 2 encounter. “I’ve never been down by 30 points, ever,” he said in seeming disbelief in one interview. He pulled himself back up though. “I don’t want to forget that. I want to use it as a motivation.”

NU eventually missed the Final 4, ending the season with a so-so 6-8 record, a game less than their 7-7 record last season. Parks however was still, without a doubt, the best individual talent on his team and in the league, and he can only get better. He never loses sight of someday winning the UAAP Title. “Our goal as a team is still to win the championship,” he said.

Ravena for his part didn’t have any real rivals as Rookie of the Year. Although Parks and Slaughter are both fellow newcomers, they did not come straight out of high school to play in the senior division. Slaughter is a transfer student from the University of the Visayas, while Parks sat out that one year after his RP Youth Team duties. Fellow RP Youth teammates Kevin Ferrer of Santo Tomas and another NU freshman, Gelo Alolino were the only other true rookies of note this season. “It is an honor to win Rookie of the Year, but our real goal is still to win the UAAP championship,” Ravena said. This thinking was reflected in his Twitter account, “eyes on the prize” right after their loss to Adamson University at the end of the eliminations.

Ravena has not stopped winning UAAP titles since his sophomore year at the Ateneo High School. By the time he finished his high school playing career last year he had won three straight UAAP junior division championships. He was also on the Mythical 5 and the Finals MVP in his senior year when the Blue Eaglets completed their own grand slam. His first game as a senior division player in the UAAP was unremarkable to say the least, going 0-1 from the field and not scoring a single point against the Falcons on opening weekend. He followed that up with 22 first-half points against archrival La Salle to lead the Blue Eagles to that victory. “We are very fortunate to have someone with his talent on our team,” said Ateneo head coach Norman Black over the summer.

Joining the three newcomers in the Top 5 this season are two veterans, forward Nico Salva, a teammate of Slaughter’s and Ravena’s, and power-leaping swingman Alex Nuyles of Adamson. Rounding out the rest of the Top 10 in the statistical race are Eric Camson of Adamson, Ryan Roose Garcia and Aldrech Ramos of Far Eastern University, and Jeric Fortuna and Karim Abdul of UST. Abdul might have contested the MVP award if not for a suspension drawn after he committed his second unsportsmanlike foul for the season, in their second round game versus FEU.