TNT's De Ocampo leads conference's best player award

James Yap may be the top contender for the Philippine Basketball Association’s season MVP award. But a two-way fight between big men Ranidel de Ocampo and Jay Washington is fast shaping up for the Fiesta Cup Best Player of the Conference honor. The 6-foot-7 De Ocampo, Talk `N Text’s versatile forward, emerged with the highest statistical points (SPs) average after 24 games in the season-ending meet, leading Washington by the slimmest of margins as per partial statistics provided by the league Wednesday. The former St. Francis of Assisi star, who was also the first recipient of the PBA Elims Top Performer award early in the conference, averaged 29.5 SPs after norming 15.3 points and 6.4 rebounds per outing six games into the Tropang Texters’ semifinals series with the Alaska Aces. In all, De Ocampo has amassed 707 SPs. But not far behind is Washington with 705 SPs and 29.4 average as he played a key role in San Miguel’s conquest of Derby Ace in their own semifinals series, 4-2. Washington, a former MVP in the Philippine Basketball League (PBL), tallied 15.8 points and seven rebounds for the Beermen. In third place is Coca-Cola’s Gary David with an average SPs of 29.2, while just behind him at fourth is Talk `N Text’s Jimmy Alapag with 28.9 SPs. James Yap, the Best Player of the Conference in the Philippine Cup and the heavy favorite to romp off with his second MVP trophy, is running fifth with 28.8, followed at sixth by Alaska’s L.A. Tenorio with 25.5 SPs. - RCJ, GMANews.TV