Castro wins 4th Best Player award, Durham is Best Import for 2016 Govs Cup

MANILA, Philippines – Jayson Castro won his fourth Best Player of the Conference award while Allen Durham claimed the Best Import plum on Sunday, October 9 in the 2016 PBA Governors’ Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Castro, the 5-foot-10 TNT KaTropa playmaker, last won the award in the 2015 Commissioner’s Cup, when TNT won the title.

The 30-year-old Castro had a total 1092 statistical points built on his 23.1 points, 7.4 assists, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.1 steals per game.

San Miguel Beer’s June Mar Fajardo came in second with 857 statistical points on 18.6 points, 12.7 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 1.4 blocks per contest. Fajardo, the reigning back-to-back MVP, is leading the season MVP race for the third straight year.

Terrence Romeo (558 SPs), Calvin Abueva (397 SPs), and Stanley Pringle (396 SPs) were third to fifth in the race, respectively.

Castro led TNT to a dominant 10-1 finish and the top seed after the eliminations but fell short in 4 games to sister team Meralco in the semifinals.

Asia’s best point guard, who retired from national team play after the FIBA Olympic Qualifiers 3 months ago, came just two points shy of tying his career-high 44 points when he dropped 42 on Phoenix in the quarterfinals.

Meanwhile, Meralco’s American import Durham tallied 1273 in statistical points.

Durham, who has been instrumental to the Bolts’ run to their historic first finals appearance, normed 29.4 points, 15.2 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 1.1 steals, and 1.4 blocks through to the semis.

Durham, 28, won the award in his second PBA stint, two years since playing a handful of games for Barako Bull (now Phoenix) in the 2014 Governors’ Cup.

Both Best Import awards this season went to Meralco reinforcements with Arinze Onuaku bagging last conference’s recognition.

Barangay Ginebra’s Justin Brownlee was right behind Durham with 1028 statistical points on 29.3 points, 11.3 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.7 steals, and 1.1 blocks per ballgame.

Brownlee has flourished with Ginebra despite initially serving as a reliever for injured Paul Harris. – Rappler.com