In this ongoing PBL PG Flex Erase Placenta Cup, quite a few players have been making incredible waves. This new generation of superstars is truly proving that even if the so-called big names are not around, there is still more than enough star power in the PBL to blaze bright as the sun. At the end of the day, one of these men will stand head and shoulders above the rest though, and he will be proclaimed the tournament’s Most Valuable Player. Before any further discussion on that score, it would be good to look at the individual players from each team who made this PG Flex Erase Placenta Cup a surprisingly exciting tournament.

John Wilson, FERN C – If his team had only made the semifinals this man would probably be the hands-down, unanimous choice as tournament MVP. He has brought an explosive scoring streak to this tournament, the likes of which have not been seen in maybe the last half-decade or so. Averaging some 28 points per game, the former JRU King Bomber was the biggest reason FERN C was even in some of the contests they played. Take the 6-foot-2 Wilson off this team and they would likely have gotten buried every game. True, this is a team sport, but it is a team sport the objective of which is to put up more points than the other side. And in this tournament, no one put up more points than Wilson.

Alain Maliksi, Add Mix-Adamson – Talk about high fliers and this would be one of the guys who come immediately to mind. He is not only a powerful leaper; at a legit 6-foot-5, he is also sinewy, tall and long of limb, the perfect basketball body, and he put that to excellent use in this tournament. Averaging nearly 14 points and six boards per game, Maliksi provided a steady and highly athletic presence in the front line for Add Mix. He was a constant presence in and around either box, put his springs and his reach to good use for offensive boards. And unlike most big men, he was also a tireless runner on the wings and a steady enough shooter form up to 18 feet. It took a coach like Leo Austria to unleash him since he was in and out of the UST doghouse in the UAAP, but boy did he come alive against truly tough competition in the PBL.

Neil Pascual and Mark Cagoco, ANI FCA – Perhaps no other former NCAA starters were as underrated over the last four years than these two. They weren’t the flashy types, and they deferred to the bigger stars on their respective teams like true team players. Pascual, the workhorse 6-foot-2 forward, had a former NCAA MVP in Kelvin De La Pena as his Mapua Cardinals’ superstar. 5-foot-8 guard Cagoco’s JRU Heavy Bombers had a plethora of stars, not the least of which is the aforementioned Wilson (yet another NCAA MVP) and big man ANI teammate James Sena. Pascual averaged some 12 boards per game to come in second behind JR Taganas of Cossack Blue in this tournament. Cagoco may not have the sterling numbers but he did run this team with patience and intelligence. These two made sure ANI at least tried to put up a fight every game.

Bam Gamalinda, Ascof Lagundi – Speaking of deferring, this is a guy who did that throughout his entire college career with the mighty San Beda Red Lions. At any one point of his stint as a Red Lion he has had to take a backseat to the likes of Yousif Al-Jamal, Pong Escobal, Sam Ekwe and even Ogie Menor. There always seemed to be somebody with a bigger name ahead of him. In this tournament though, he was the real leader on the floor and the main man for the Natural Cough Busters. Averaging over 14 points and nearly eight rebounds, he was a consistent and solid presence for Ascof. One or two more breaks, had Ascof sneaked into the semifinals, Gamalinda would surely be in the running as tournament MVP.

JR Taganas and James Martinez, Cossack Blue – It might be considered a reunion for these two on the Blue Spirits, as both were teammates on one of those legendary Ato Badolato-mentored Red Cub championship squads. They were also teammates on one of the RP Youth teams. On the Cossack squad though they are Bash and Flash. Taganas leads the tournament in rebounds with a little over 16 caroms per contest. Martinez, a certified gunner, is among the top scorers with nearly 16 points per game. These two have proven that even undersized players can contribute to a winning effort. Taganas is barely 6-foot-3 in his sneakers, but at a burly 250 pounds he certainly more than holds his own in the brutal rebounding battles in the lane. Martinez is maybe 5-foot-7, and is one of the smallest players in the league, but he is also among the best shooters and drivers even coming off an ACL injury.

Jimbo Aquino, Excel Roof – Were it not for getting tossed on a technical, he might have been the NCAA Season 85 MVP and not Wilson. When it came time for him to get it done in the Finals though, he certainly showed all and sundry he was MVP material, and against a favored San Beda squad that had won the last three titles. Aquino had to bide his time in San Sebastian since he had other gunners there like Red Vicente and Jim Viray ahead of him. Now he is a true PBL superstar, and while he struggled early in this tournament, he found his stride soon enough. He provides not just shooting and scoring, but leadership in crucial game situations.

Paul Lee, Cobra – While his teammate and fellow hotshot Patrick Cabahug rose to the occasion over their last three games, he remains the steadiest player for the Iron Men. While Cabahug is known more as a gunner, Lee is arguably the better all-around player, who can score from everywhere, handle and find open teammates, rebounds and defends with a simple tenacity. He is going to be the undisputed superstar for UE in the coming UAAP season, and in this tournament he is already showing what all college fans can expect from him. Lee singlehandedly inflicted the one and only loss of league-leading Pharex B-UP in this tournament with a steal and a breakaway layup. There were games when he would just will his team to victory when things looked bleak. Lee should be one of the top two choices for conference MVP.

Vic Manuel, Pharex B-UP – Talk about blossoming. Manuel has been the top star of the PSBA Jaguars in the NCRAA the last couple of years, and all true hardcore hoop fans know all about his incredible athletic prowess: the mad hops, the long and loping strides in transition, the ability to turn on a dime and change directions end to end, showing up out of nowhere to snatch a rebound high in the air. Over the last year and a half, Manuel also honed his jump shot and his freethrows, two things that used to hold him back from being a complete player. He is averaging over 15 points and eight rebounds per game and is the biggest reason that Pharex has been this successful. Pharex is looking at making a second straight appearance in the PBL Finals, and when they do, Manuel will dispute the MVP award with Lee.