GLOBALPORT EYEING PRINGLE FOR NO. 1 DRAFT PICK
This early, the Globalport Batang Pier are decided former Penn State player Stanley Pringle will be their choice as the top pick in the 2014 PBA Rookie Draft.
“Sa kanya lang kami nakatingin. Wala kaming ibang option,” said GlobalPort official Erick Arejola, convinced there would be no stopping the Fil-Am player from joining the draft exercise.
PBA operations chief Rickie Santos said Pringle has applied for the Draft, but they have yet to check and verify his papers if he’s eligible to join the Draft pool.
“We’ve talked to Charlie Dy, whom we believe is the one who represents Pringle. Mag-a-apply daw si Pringle and he’s very much eligible as a Fil-Am player,” said Arejola.
The Batang Pier aren’t looking at anybody else as they very well know how good a player Pringle is.
The 6-foot-1 guard, playing for the Indonesian Warriors, dealt Harbour Centre Philippines much damage in their ABL Season III semifinal faceoff.
“Import na ang pinadepensa namin sa kanya, pinaglaruan din. Kilala namin sya na talagang magaling na player,” said Arejola.
“Siya ang tumalo sa amin sa semifinals. Then siya rin ang nagpahirap sa San Miguel Beer sa Finals. Eventually, pinag-champion niya ang Indonesia Warriors,” Arejola recalled.
“Pinaghalong Sol Mercado at Jayson Castro yang si Pringle. So imagine mo na lang ang galing niya,” said another former ABL personality.
GlobalPort has a shot at Pringle for winning the lottery over Meralco Tuesday night for the rights for first Draft selection.
Pringle is a Fil-Am considered by coach Rajko Toroman for the original Gilas Pilipinas team along with Marcio Lassiter and Chris Lutz.
Born in San Diego, California, the 6-foot-1 guard spent his first two years of college basketball at Pasco-Hernando State College before moving over to Penn State and starring for the team with future PBA champion import Jamelle Cornley.
For the 2007-08 season, Pringle played in all 31 games of Penn State, starting in 12. He averaged 6.9 points and 2.3 assists per game, shot a team-best 40.9 percent from three-point range, and had seven double-digit scoring games.
In 2008-09, Pringle helped his team win the NIT championship while averaging 12.75 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.8 assists, ranking sixth in the Big Ten in three-point shooting percentage with a 45-percent clip.
Before joining the ABL, Pringle strutted his stuff as an import in Belgium, Poland and Ukraine. (SB)
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