Terrence Romeo tops MVP race after the opening round

By Paolo Mariano Posted Jul 29th 2013

Surprise, surprise.

Far Eastern University (FEU) star guard Terrence Romeo emerged as the top contender for the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award at the end of the first round of the 76^th UAAP men’s senior basketball tournament.

The prolific senior amassed a total of 79.0 statistical points (SPs), buoyed by his league-leading 22.6 PPG and 1.4 SPG on top of 4.1 APG, good for third overall. The Tamaraws’ 7-0 record also helped his case, with bonus points being given to won games.

Breathing down his neck is National University’s (NU) Ray Parks with 76.14 SPs. The two-time reigning MVP is third in the league in points (18.9 PPG), seventh in rebounds (9.4 RPG), and second in assists (4.4 APG) and steals (1.3 SPG) in another across-the-board season.

University of the East’s (UE) inside-outside duo of Charles Mammie and Roi Sumang also made it to the top five, with the former at the third spot with 74.83 SPs and the latter at fifth place with 66.14. The 6-foot-8 Mammie, however, is already disqualified from MVP contention after being suspended for one game.

NU's graduating big man Emmanuel Mbe is at the fourth slot with 67.28 SPs.

But even without the aid of statistics, it's clear that Romeo has been the best player since Day 1. There’s not even a debate. He’s toyed with every defense, dished to open teammates, and most importantly, hit huge shots. He’s truly transformed his one-dimensional game of being just a deadly scorer into a better-rounded veteran, just like what he promised before the season.

His willingness to contribute in other fields is the primary reason why FEU is comfortably at the top spot in the team standings with an unforeseen sweep of the opening round. He capped it off with a sizzling 26-point virtuoso performance against Adamson on Sunday.

Also finishing in the top 10 of the MVP ladder are University of Santo Tomas (UST) center Karim Abdul (62.71 SPs), Romeo’s running mate RR Garcia (58.85), Ateneo de Manila University forward Ryan Buenafe (56.57), Adamson University sophomore Jericho Cruz (56.0), and De La Salle University main man Jeron Teng (55.71).

SPs are computed by adding points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks, and bonus points with turnovers and penalty points from any technical/unsportsmanlike foul also considered.

All the SPs are from the official computation by league statistics provider Imperium Technology and Smart Bro.

Romeo is looking to be the second MVP from FEU in four seasons after Garcia took home the plum in 2010.