June Mar Fajardo winning eight MVPs in the PBA?
Possible.
That is what Ramon Fernandez believes and he said so yesterday when asked to comment on the dominance of the San Miguel Beer center.
The 6-foot-10 Fajardo is on track to winning a fourth straight MVP plum.
“First year ni June Mar, I already said that in the next 10 years, barring any physical and mental injury, he is going to dominate the PBA,” Fernandez said during the PSA Forum at the Golden Phoenix Hotel in Pasay City.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if he gets eight MVPs and break several records in the PBA,” added Fernandez, who holds the record with Alvin Patrimonio as the only four-time MVP winners.
Oldtimers in the PBA swear up to now Fernandez’s haul should have been six.
Fajardo, only in his fourth season in the PBA, is leading the MVP race following another stellar performance in the recent Philippine Cup where he bagged his fifth Best Player of the Conference (BPC) award.
Fernandez first saw Fajardo when the latter was still at University of Cebu, and according to the current PSC commissioner, he saw something on the native of Pinamungajan, Cebu.
And it’s not even the obvious.
“When I saw him in second year college, (I told myself) this is the guy,” the 63-year-old Fernandez said.
Fernandez said Fajardo has plenty of weapons in his arsenal that he has shown yet, including a hook shot.
During Fernandez’s playing days, he himself developed a weapon that fans called the ‘elegant shot’ – a half-turned, one-handed running shot that he releases as he cuts across the lane.
“May secret weapon siya na hindi niya ginagamit,” said Fernandez. “Magaling siya mag-hook shot, left and right. Nung nasa Cebu siya, maybe hindi niya ginagamit yun kasi maliliit ang kalaban niya.”
“Pero sabi ko sa kanya noon, kailangan niya yun sa PBA at sa international competition. Up to now, hindi pa niya (ginagamit). But in due time… he still has to develop other moves to be more effective though,” he added.
As for SMB, which recently won the Philippine Cup for the third straight season to take the ‘Perpetual Trophy,’ Fernandez, who led the Beermen to the Grand Slam in 1989, expects the team to continue its reign, saying: “They will continue to dominate as long as they stay healthy.”