A new scoring king will be formally crowned on Jan. 21 when the PBA Press Corps holds the 25th silver anniversary of its traditional Awards Night at the Novotel Manila Araneta Center.
Stanley Pringle of NorthPort is set to be honored as the scoring champion for being the league’s top gunner last season with an average of 21.0 points per outing.
Pringle’s ascendance ended the three-year reign of former teammate Terrence Romeo, now with San Miguel.
The 31-year-old Pringle, who made his national team debut also last season, leads the initial list of awardees to be feted by the men and women who regularly covers the PBA beat.
The Order of Merit and the All-Interview team will likewise be handed out during the special affair first held in 1993.
Recipients of the Order of Merit, given to individual who had the most number of Player of the Week honor by the PBAPC, are San Miguel’s June Mar Fajardo, Paul Lee of Magnolia Pambansang Manok, and Vic Manuel of Alaska. This marks only the second time co-Order of Merits were cited since Arwind Santos and Jimmy Alapag did it during the 2008-09 season.
Meanwhile, Team Pilipinas and NLEX coach Yeng Guiao leads the All-Interview team composed of big men Christian Standhardinger and Joe Devance, along with guards Chris Ross, Mike Digregorio, and Chris Tiu. The award is meant to honor players and coaches who provided juicy quotes and always take time for media interviews. Except for Guiao, all five are first-time winners of the award.
The presentation of the Virgilio ‘Baby’ Dalupan Coach of the Year award serves as the highlight of the event, with Leo Austria, Chito Victolero, and Tim Cone vying as the top contenders for the honor named after the late great mentor who scored the league’s first ever grand slam in 1976 with the fabled Crispa Redmanizers.
Another traditional award to be given is the Danny Floro Executive of the Year named after the late amiable Crispa team owner, as well as the Defensive Player of the Year, All-Rookie team, Mr Quality Minutes, Game of the Season, and the Breakout Player of the Year.
Making the program a special one is the naming of the first ever Lifetime Achievement honor and the President’s Award.
