CPC honors best collegiate cagers

Collegiate men’s basketball has no shortage of talents but five players stood out exceptionally above everyone in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 87 and National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Season 100.

Clint Escamis of Mapua University, JD Cagulangan of University of the Philippines, Allen Liwag of College of Saint Benilde, and Kevin Quiambao and Mike Phillips of De La Salle University will be named the Collegiate Men’s Basketball Mythical Team in the 2025 San Miguel Corporation-Collegiate Press Corps (SMC-CPC) Awards Night at the Discovery Suites Manila in Ortigas Center on Monday.

Headlining the pack is Escamis, who steered the Cardinals to a breakthrough NCAA championship after 33 years to earn the Collegiate Men’s Basketball Player of the Year citation.

The 24-year-old court general led Mapua to a 15-3 win-loss record during the eliminations with averages of 15.44 points, 4.0 assists, 3.61 rebounds, and 1.89 steals per game.

Equally impressive is Quiambao, currently making waves overseas with the Goyang Sono Skygunners in the Korean Basketball League, despite a foiled title retention bid for La Salle.

Prior to his stellar stint in Korea, the versatile 6-foot-7 ace led the Green Archers to finals return in Season 87, coupling it with his second straight Season Most Valuable Player (MVP) award.

He’s the first Green Archer to win back-to-back top individual plums since Ben Mbala in 2017 after posting a league-best 16.64 points, to go with 8.64 rebounds, 4.07 assists, and a steal during the elimination round as he topped the statistical race with 81.357 statistical points.

For his part, floor general Cagulangan guided the Fighting Maroons to a sweet redemption tour and bagged the Finals MVP for a swan song before heading to the Suwon KT Sonicboom in Korea.

The Fighting Maroon registered 13.67 points, 4.33 rebounds, 4.67 assists, 1.33 steals, and 0.67 blocks in the Finals while committing only 1.67 turnovers in the three-game series to dethrone Quiambao and the Green Archers.

The 5-foot-9 Cagulangan finished third in the statistical points after the eliminations with 69.167 SPs, averaged of 11.75 points, 5.0 assists, and 1.75 steals per contest, just behind the eventual MVP Quiambao and fellow Mythical Team awardee Phillips who had 74.929 SPs.

Joining the elite squad is 6-foot-6 Liwag by clinching the Season 100 MVP award and Defensive Player of the Year honor after anchoring College of Saint Benilde into another Finals appearance.

Liwag topped the NCAA stats race behind a double-double average of 14.61 points and 11.28 rebounds laced by 2.33 assists, and 1.22 blocks as the Blazers dethroned San Beda University before falling prey to the Escamis-led Cardinals.

Behind similar double-double averages of 12.0 points, 11.57 rebounds with 1.71 steals, and 1.07 blocks, Phillips completes the “Fab Five” in the third edition of the CPC.