SSC's Abueva leads collegiate basketball awardees

San Sebastian star Calvin Abueva leads the list of awardees in the UAAP-NCAA Press Corps Annual Collegiate Basketball Awards on January 21 at the Gateway Suites in Quezon City.

UAAP Most Valuable Player Bobby Ray Parks Jr. of National University, San Beda's Garvo Lanete, and Ateneo's Greg Slaughter and Kiefer Ravena join the 87th NCAA MVP Abueva in the Collegiate Mythical Team. Parks, Lanete, Slaughter and Ravena also donned the national colors to help Sinag Pilipinas win the gold in the 26th Southeast Asian Games in Indonesia. Abueva, known for his consistent double-double games, powered the Stags to a third straight NCAA Finals berth where the Golden Stags were swept by the San Beda Red Lions. The 6-foot-4 Pampanga-born cager also led San Sebastian to a historic Philippine Collegiate Champions League (PCCL) conquest where the Stags became the first NCAA team to capture the national crown. Slaughter and Ravena made an impression in their maiden UAAP stint as the Blue Eagles captured their fourth straight championship in grand fashion. Both also earned spots in the UAAP's Mythical Selection. Lanete, the younger brother of PBA player Chico, filled in the void left by injured American star Sudan Daniel to tow the Red Lions to a record-tying 16th NCAA championship. Parks, the son of seven-time PBA Best Import Bobby Sr., captured the UAAP MVP plum on his rookie year for the rebuilding Bulldogs. The UAAP-NCAA Mythical Five is one of the major awards presented by a group of scribes from various broadsheets, tabloids and online publications covering the varsity beat. — JVP, GMA News