Pre Closes on Jumamoy for UAAP MVP; Alas Leads, Tovera Climbs

Veejay Pre’s recent surge has brought him within striking distance of Reinhard Jumamoy in the UAAP Season 89 men’s basketball MVP race, while Kieffer Alas remains ahead among rookies following a productive start to the second round.

According to statistical points computations by local statistician Johann Medina through the October 25 games, National University’s Jumamoy leads MVP-eligible players with 71.125 SPs.

University of the Philippines’ Pre is his closest challenger at 69.889, leaving just 1.236 SPs between them.

Note: Medina’s tracker, shared on his X account, is an independent computation.

Pre climbed five places in the overall rankings, from ninth on October 18 to fourth on October 25. With foreign student-athletes Mohamed Konateh and Collins Akowe occupying the first two spots, that places Pre second among players eligible for the season MVP award.

The movement reflects how quickly the race has tightened. In Medina’s October 18 table, Pre had 60.143 SPs to Jumamoy’s 72.714, a gap of 12.571. Over UP’s next two games, Pre raised his average by 9.746 SPs.

His biggest performance came in the Fighting Maroons’ 103–101 double-overtime victory over University of Santo Tomas on October 21. Pre finished with 30 points, 16 rebounds, three assists, four steals and one block, scoring all seven of UP’s points in the second overtime.

He followed that with 14 points, six rebounds and five assists in a 101–70 win over University of the East on October 25. UP’s fifth consecutive victory lifted the Maroons to 7–2. Won games add bonus points to each player’s SPs.

Jumamoy, meanwhile, remains in front after helping NU establish itself among the league leaders. He finished the opening round averaging 13.3 points, 6 rebounds, and 5.14 assists, with the Bulldogs carrying a 5–2 record. NU subsequently improved to 6–2 by beating Adamson, 79–43, on October 24.

UST’s Mark Llemit is third among MVP-eligible players with 67.444 SPs, followed by teammate Amiel Acido at 64.444 and NU’s PJ Palacielo at 64.375. FEU’s Kirby Mongcopa is next at 63.000.

Defending MVP Janrey Pasaol sits 16th overall with 53.875 SPs.

In the Rookie of the Year race, Ateneo’s Alas remains the leading contender with 60.500 SPs, a slight improvement from Medina’s previous update. He moved from 11th to ninth overall.

Alas reinforced his case with 21 points, four rebounds and two steals in Ateneo’s 75–72 victory over FEU on October 24. His two late free throws gave the Blue Eagles their final cushion.

La Salle’s Joaquin Tovera made the largest jump among the players shown in Medina’s updated top 20, climbing 15 places from 35th to 20th. His SP average rose from 40.429 to 51.222.

Tovera’s rise followed an expanded role for the Green Archers, who were without injured point guard Jacob Cortez against UST on October 25. The rookie delivered 15 points, nine assists, seven rebounds and three steals in La Salle’s 92–80 victory.

He scored or assisted on 20 of the Archers’ 25 fourth-quarter points, helping turn a six-point deficit early in the period into a double-digit win.

The overall statistical lead remains with FEU’s Konateh at 76.375 SPs, narrowly ahead of UST’s Akowe at 75.889. Only 0.486 SP separates the two big men.

Under UAAP rules, foreign student-athletes are ineligible for season MVP. The Best Foreign Student-Athlete award is given only when an FSA finishes ahead of all players in the statistical points race.