SIX-foot-4 forward Arwind Santos saved his best for the endgame as his efforts powered the Petron Blaze Boosters to the finals of the PBA Governors Cup, in the process bagging for himself the weekly Player of the Week citation for the period Aug. 1 to 7.
Santos, a wily forward, averaged 20.5 points, 14.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in key wins over BMEG and the grand-slam seeking Talk ‘N Text. Those numbers were even more impressive than when he normed 14.0 points, 13.5 rebounds, 3.5 blocks and a steal in a similar two-game winning stretch that made him co-recipient, along with Tropang Texter guard Jayson Castro, of the honor on June 13-19.
All in all, Santos has been averaging 16.7 points, 14.5 rebounds, 11.1 assists, as many steals and 1.7 blocked shots going to the best-of-seven championship series. He leads the import-spiced tournament in swatted shots, is tops among locals in rebounding and double-doubles (10) and fourth among locals in points production, making him one of the top prospects for the Best Player of the Conference award.
Santos’ stellar numbers has helped offset the loss of key players on Petron’s side. The Boosters are without the injured Rabeh Al-Hussaini, Jay Washington, Lordy Tugade and Joseph Yeo. /Correspondent Jonas Panerio