CALVIN OFTANA and Arvin Tolentino form part of the honor roll for next week’s 31st Philippine Basketball Association Press Corps (PBAPC) Annual Awards Night at the Novotel Manila.
Oftana is the recipient of the Order of Merit, while Tolentino will be recognized as the Scoring Champion during the October 13 celebration.
The Order of Merit is awarded to the player who garnered the most number of Player of the Week citations, while the Scoring Champion is determined by the highest scoring average of a player for the season.
Oftana of TNT was Player of the Week four times for Season 49, while Tolentino of NorthPort was the top offensive player with an average of 21.2 points.
Incidentally, the two were also recognized in the recent PBA Leo Awards as part of the First Mythical selection along with nine-time MVP June Mar Fajardo, CJ Perez and Robert Bolick.
Oftana played a key role in helping the Tropang 5G make the Finals of all three conferences, including their conquest of the Governors’ Cup and Commissioner’s Cup.
Tolentino won his first Best Player of the Conference award after steering NorthPort to the semifinals of the mid-season Commissioner’s Cup.