Melecio officially named Rookie of the Year

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By Ivan Saldajeno

MANILA--Just when everyone thought the Rookie of the Year is already locked in, a "plot twist" came.

La Salle's Aljun Melecio will now be awarded with the UAAP's top freshman plum for this season instead of Adamson's Jerrick Ahanmisi.

The league officially named the Green Archers' spitfire guard the said award on Monday owing to a reported technicality that disqualified the younger brother of Rain Or Shine's rising star Maverick.

Ahanmisi was the best player among the freshmen with 44.5 statistical points, while Melecio was a distant second with 36.5714.

But Ahanmisi was revealed to have stopped schooling for one year after finishing his secondary studies at the Valley Christian High School in the United States before finally attending college at Adamson, making him ineligible for the award.

Melecio, meanwhile, decided to stay in the Green Archers' lair after a stellar career at La Salle-Zobel in the juniors division.

Melecio will be formally handed the Rookie of the Year during the basketball individual awards at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Wednesday right before Game 2 of the finals between La Salle and Ateneo.

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