University of the Philippines’ Malick Diouf inked his name in UAAP history as the third State U player to be named most valuable player (MVP).
The Senegalese standout follows the footsteps of Fort Acuña in 1968 and Bright Akhuetie in 2018 as the only season MVP winners that hail from UP.
Maroon legend Eric Altamirano won most outstanding player of the finals in 1986 and was not formally recognized as a season MVP.
Diouf tabulated 73.857 statistical points (SPs) to secure the MVP plum as well as a spot in the Mythical Five. He previously received the Finals MVP honors in Season 84.
“I just want to say thank you for this blessing. Thank you to my teammates but [the] job is not yet done,” the 6’10 gentle giant said during the awards ceremony.
Joining Diouf in the mythical five is fellow maroon Carl Tamayo, who received the citation for a second straight season after tallying 63.429 SPs.
Also in the elite selection are Ateneo’s Forth Padrigao and Dave Ildefonso who tallied 71.571 and 64.929 points respectively. Rounding up the list is UE’s Luis Villegas with 69.857 SPs.
Meanwhile, La Salle’s Kevin Quiambao was hailed as rookie of the year, previously won by Tamayo in Season 84.
Refusing to rest on their laurels with back-to-back titles on the line for UP, the Fighting Maroons set their sights on their title-deciding Game 3 affair against Ateneo on Monday, Dec. 19.
