History made: Fil-Am guard Ethan Alvano bags Korean Basketball League MVP
MANILA, Philippines – Filipino-American guard Ethan Alvano just made history in the Korean Basketball League (KBL).
Alvano, who plays for the league-leading Wonju DB Promy as an Asian Quota import, was named as the domestic MVP of the 2023-2024 KBL Season on Monday, April 1, becoming the first non-Korean player to capture the top individual award.
In 54 games played this regular season, the 27-year-old Alvano averaged 15.9 points, 6.6 assists, 3 rebounds, and 1.5 steals to steer Wonju to an impressive 41-13 record.
Alvano, who is in his sophomore year in the Land of the Morning Calm, is one of 11 Filipino imports to suit up in the KBL this season, along with Rhenz Abando, SJ Belangel, Juan Gomez de Liaño, Dave Ildefonso, Justin Gutang, Migs Oczon, Alex Cabagnot, Joshua Torralba, and Filipino-Canadians Calvin Epistola and Avan Nava.
Prior to his stint with Wonju, Alvano had seen action for the San Miguel Alab Pilipinas in the now-defunct ASEAN Basketball League, Hi-Tech Bangkok City in the Thailand Basketball Super League, and Eisbären Bremerhaven in Germany.
Aside from Alvano, another Wonju player took home an individual award this season as American import Dedric Lawson got hailed foreign MVP.
Wonju will take on the winner of the quarterfinal series between the Seoul SK Knights and the Busan KCC Egis in the semifinals. – Rappler.com