Sans top pick Aguilar, Maierhofer leading PBA rookie race

Japeth Aguilar’s loss is fast shaping up to be Rico Maierhofer’s gain. Entering the homestretch of the KFC-PBA Philippine Cup, Maierhofer finds himself leading the way in the race for the coveted Rookie of the Year award. The 6-foot-6 big man out of De La Salle University currently leads all neophytes in the league’s statistical race with 20.5 statistical points (SP) per game behind averages of 8.0 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.1 blocks. The lanky Purefoods center was picked by the Giants as the no.2 overall selection behind Aguilar (Burger King) in last year’s Rookie Draft.

But with Aguilar’s decision to revert back to the amateurs after playing just a single game with the Whopper, Maierhofer is now the barometer among rookie players. At the moment, he’s just outside the top 30 among all players in the overall stats derby. Sta. Lucia Realty guard Joshua Urbiztondo, undrafted and left out last year, is a surprise no. 2 behind Maierhofer in the rookie race. Urbiztondo is proving to be a big revelation with his numbers of 8.2 points, 2.6 assists, 2.5 rebounds and 0.9 steal for an average of 17.9 SPs. The 5-foot-10 playmaker, one of 35 players left undrafted in the 2009 draft, leads all freshmen in assists and is second behind Ogie Menor in scoring. He's once a recipient of the Accel-KFC Player of the Week honors. Jervy Cruz, the No. 3 draft selection by Rain or Shine, is third in the ROY race with 14.1 SPs an outing. The 6-foot-4 forward out of University of Santo Tomas puts in 7.1 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. Menor, the sixth pick, is running fourth in the derby, followed by Burger King's No. 8 choice Ronnie Matias. Menor averages 9.8 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.2 assists while Matias norms 6.6 points and 3.8 rebounds. – GMANews.TV