Tams' Garcia solidifies bid for MVP plum

MANILA, Philippines - He may be young in terms of playing years but Far Eastern University’s sophomore guard RR Garcia has proven he can take the mantle for the Tamaraws, the only unbeaten lot halfway through the UAAP Season 73 cage wars.

The former RP youth standout has been dishing out solid performances game after game, in the process priming himself up for a possible run at the MVP plum.

At the end of the first round, the 20-year-old cager had the upperhand in the race for the top individual award, garnering 64.7143 statistical points (SPs) to lead University of the East’s Paul Lee (60.2857), teammate Aldrech Ramos (58.4286), National U’s Emmanuel Mbe (55.8571) and another Tam, Reil Cervantes (55.00).

Garcia showed the way in scoring (17.7 points per game), with a high of 25 and a low of 11, while figuring prominently in steals (No. 8 with 1.3 average) and assists (No. 10 with 2.6 average).

“I’m confident whenever he’s inside the court because he serves like a coach to his teammates,” FEU mentor Glen Capacio said of his ace playmaker, who romped off with his third Accel-Filoil UAAP Press Corps Player of the Week award for his 22-point, four-rebound, one-assist and three-steal effort in their 65-57 win over Santo Tomas Saturday.

“I just hope he plays consistently well throughout the season, especially since all the teams will be preparing hard for us in the second round,” Capacio added.

Rounding out the Top 10 in SPs were UST’s Chris Camus (53.2857), Ateneo’s Eric Salamat (51.8571) and Nico Salva (50.8571), Adamson’s Eric Camson (49.2857), and Ateneo’s Kirk Long (49.1429).

Mbe, the Bulldogs’ Cameroonian rookie, emerged as the UAAP’s best rebounder with a 12.4 average, spiked by a single game high of 19.