NO SHORTAGE OF TALENT IN ROOKIE DRAFT POOL
Former Gilas Pilipinas player Greg Slaughter and Ateneo teammates Nico Salva and Justin Chua banner a talent-laden cast who have applied for the 2013 PBA Rookie Draft slated Nov. 3 at Robinson’s Place Ermita.
It could be the deepest Draft pool in years especially if two-time UAAP MVP awardee Bobby Ray Parks of National U decides to join the pool.
Former San Sebastian stars Ian Sangalang and Ronald Pascual have reportedly decided to make themselves available for the Draft. They are expected to beat the Oct. 18 deadline for submission of application papers.
Aside from Slaughter, Salva and Chua, other heralded players already in the list are Letran behemoth Raymond Almazan, UP’s Mike Silungan and Mark Lopez, FEU’s Mark Bringas, Adamson’s James Camson, San Beda’s Jose Caram, San Sebastian’s Dave Najorda, JRU’s Jeckster Apinan and Arellano’s James Forrester.
If Parks joins the draft, it could well be him and Slaughter as the top two picks in the draft exercise.
San Mig Coffee and Barangay Ginebra dispute the rights for the top pick in a lottery to be held at halftime of Game One of the PBA Governors’ Cup best-of-seven finale Friday.
The Mixers’ and the Kings’ cracks at the top pick originally belonged to GlobalPort and Air21, respectively. The rights were transferred on previous trade deals.
Also by virtue of past trade transactions, Barako Bull has three first round picks (fourth, fifth and sixth) while Rain or Shine has two (third and ninth).
GlobalPort owns the seventh pick, Alaska eighth and San Mig Coffee 10th.
There’s a big possibility that the top pick will come from down south in Cebu for the second straight year.
Last year, Petron Blaze chose Junmar Fajardo over Calvin Abueva as the No. 1 Draft selection.
Fajardo, from University of Cebu, and Slaughter, from University of Visayas, used to be fierce rivals in the Cebu collegiate league until the latter moved over to Ateneo.
Others who are likely to go high in the coming draft are Sangalang, Almazan, Salva, Pascual and Chua.
Slaughter, Sangalang, Salva and Pascual were members of the Philippine team that won the last Southeast Asian Games in Jakarta. (SB)
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