GLOBALPORT hopes its fortunes would take a turn for the better come the 40th PBA season after grabbing the No. 1 pick for this year’s Annual Rookie Draft during the lottery pick Tuesday night before the start of the PBA Governors Cup Finals at the Mall of Asia Arena.
The Batang Pier had two of the three balls in the lottery box by virtue of their last-place finishes in the Commissioner’s Cup and Governors Cup this season, while Meralco had one ball.
PBA commissioner Chito Salud drew the lottery ball.
Globalport, a two-year-old PBA franchise, only had two wins to show under new coach Pido Jarencio in the last two conferences, a paltry showing compared to the five victories and a quarterfinal finish under interim coach Ritchie Ticzon in the Philippine Cup.
Team owner Mikee Romero has already declared through an earlier interview with Spin.ph that he has no plans of trading the team's 2014 first-round pick which, contrary to popular opinion, still belongs to the Batang Pier and not to Ginebra.
In fact, the youthful Romero himself confirmed that Globalport still holds the rights to the team's first-round pick in the upcoming PBA rookie draft set this Aug. 24, explaining that the Batang Pier merely returned Ginebra's own first-round pick in a separate November transaction.
Batang Pier team manager Erick Arejola said Stanley Pringle is their likely top pick if the former ABL star decides to enlist for the draft.
“We’re excited and we’ll get Pringle if ever he joins the draft. He’s very athletic and has played in the ABL and Europe,” said Arejola.
“But if not, we will probalbly get the best available talent. Marami pa iyan kasi nandyan pa and Gilas boys,” he added, referring to Gilas cadets Kevin Alas and Garvo Lanete.
Meantime, Meralco, whose draft right is now owned by Rain or Shine owing to past trade transactions, will pick second in this year’s rookie draft set at the Robinson’s Place in Ermita.
The Elasto Painters, who have one of the deepest and youngest lineups this season, are expected to even get better as they get a chance to dip their hands in this year’s bumper crop of rookie hopefuls.
Also expected to join the draft are NLEX Road Warriors Jake Pascual and Matt Ganuelas. Two-time UAAP MVP and former National University star Ray Parks is in the US bit has hinted he is keeping his options open for the PBA rookie draft.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
