Three individuals who excelled in their respective fields in the year just passed will be given with distinction in the San Miguel Corporation-Philippine Sportswriters Association (SMC-PSA) Awards Night at the Manila Hotel two weeks from now.

Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) star June Mar Fajardo, collegiate prodigy Kevin Quiambao, and volleyball celebrity Jia Morado-de Guzman are going to be the recipients of a special award from the country’s sports writing fraternity during its 27 January gala night.

The 6-foot-10 Fajardo and the 23-year-old Quiambao are hailed as the 2024 Mr. Basketball (professional and amateur), while the 5-foot-7 Morado-De Guzman, one of the country’s top setters, will be bestowed the title Ms. Volleyball.

The three are part of the distinguished honor roll to be cited by the oldest media organization in the country in its traditional awards gathering co-presented by ArenaPlus, Cignal and MediaQuest.

Gymnast idol Carlos Yulo leads the pack of awardees as he’ll be conferred with the 2024 Athlete of the Year honor for his remarkable feat of winning the country’s first ever Olympic double gold during the Paris Games.

The night of nostalgia and celebration won’t be possible without the backing of the Philippine Sports Commission, Philippine Olympic Committee, MILO, PLDT/Smart, Senator Bong Go and Januarius Holdings, with support from the PBA, PVL, 1-Pacman Partylist, AcroCity, Rain or Shine and Akari.

Fajardo had been the recipient several times of the Mr. Basketball honor in the past, while Quiambao and Morado-De Guzman are receiving the award for the first time.

The 35-year-old Fajardo reset his own record last year when he won the PBA Most Valuable Player award for the eighth time, while leading San Miguel to back-to-back Finals stint including winning the Commissioner’s Cup crown. He was also a part of the Gilas Pilipinas team that reached the semifinals of the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Riga, Latvia.

The 6-foot-7 Quiambao for his part, remained as the biggest thing in college basketball by guiding De La Salle to back-to-back University Athletic Association of the Philippines finals appearances and winning Most Valuable Player honors for two straight seasons. Like Fajardo, KQ is also part of the Gilas pool that competed in both the FIBA Olympic and Asia Cup qualifiers.

And Morado-De Guzman?

The former Ateneo stalwart served as skipper and steady anchor of Alas Pilipinas’ bronze medal finishes in the SEA Women’s V. League series, where she was named Best Setter together in the Asian Women’s Volleyball Challenge Cup.

Past winners of the special awards include Scottie Thompson, Arwind Santos, Terrence Romeo, Calvin Abueva, Thirdy Ravena, Mark Caguioa, among others, along with volleybelles Alyssa Valdez, Mika Reyes, Dawn Macandili, Alyja Daphne Santiago, Sisi Rondina and Tots Carlos.