Villoria is MVBA Player of the Week

Anton Villoria of Holcim Pryce Pharma-MisOr became the first player from the Mindanao Division to be named as the Mindanao Visayas Basketball Association (MVBA) Player of the Week. The citation covers games played from November 13 to 19.

Villoria averaged a team-best 12.7 points in their three outings, all played on the road. He played his best in the last two games against the Goldstar Hardware Duterte Agilas.

In the first game held November 18, the Carcar City native exploded for 11 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter, including the triple that tied the game at 80-80 and the ensuing steal that led to an easy lay-up that gave MisOr the lead for good, 82-80. Final score was 87-82 in favor of MisOr, their fourth win in ten games to close out the classification round.

Less than 24 hours later, Villoria and his teammates regrouped to take Game One of the Mindanao Division Semifinals, 92-84. This time, Villoria again punished the Agilas with 10 of his 12 markers in the final period. It was deja vu as he again pumped in the points that matters most, especially the triple at the 3:56 mark that restored the upper hand to MisOr for good.

In MisOr's first game this week, Villoria had eight points as MisOr clinched the home court advantage in the series by beating the MP Warriors-GenSan in Koronadal City, 78-57.

Villoria played varsity ball at Letran College in Manila. That paved the way for him to be noticed en route to a pro ball career with Red Bull, San Miguel and Talk N Text. He found his way to MisOr in the MVBA's inaugural season last year, not as a player but as an assistant coach.

Already considered semi-retired, Villoria resolved to get himself into shape and his efforts were rewarded as he was finally reactivated as a player earlier this year and eventually playing a key role in MisOr's annexation of the 2007 MVBA First Conference.

Other players nominated for the weekly plum include MisOr's Nathaniel Cruz and Mark Moreño and last week's winner Doroteo Almacin of Arthro Kontra Arthritis-Cebu.

Aside from Almacin, other players who have went home with the award include Mark Yee, Mike Manigo and Bong Marata of Cebu Landmaster-Mandaue and Bruce Dacia, Ronald Capati and Marlon Basco of M. Lhuillier Kwarta Padala-Cebu City. Marata and Basco shared their award.(Anthony Servinio)