IN his basketball life, former La Salle star guard Evan Nelle cried just once. That was when playing for San Beda in the NCAA Season 95 championship game, Letran beat the Red Lions in Game 3.
Last night (Sunday), he cried for the second time. It was after his name was called as the 14th pick in the PBA Draft. He felt so relieved and so happy, his emotions just took over.
Interestingly, what made him shed tears for the second time was the same man who made him cry for the first time. That man was Northport coach Bonnie Tan. It was Tan whose team beat him in the NCAA title game, and again it was Tan who picked him to reach his PBA dream.
LOOK: Complete list of players selected in PBA Season 49 Draft
Tears of pain and joy provoked by the same man.
Reminded that it was Tan who handed him one of his career's worst days, the 26-year-old guard let out a big smile.
“Very ironic kasi my last game in the NCAA he made me cry, and now he made me cry again because he drafted me,” said Nelle.
“It’s a big honor. Thank you for the trust coach Bonnie and the coaching staff, and I hope I can repay you guys.”
Nelle chose to move to De La Salle and there he won two PBA D-League championships and in his team's UAAP men’s basketball title showdown with University of the Philippines, Nelle was one of the oustanding players.
He thought and many perhaps shared his belief, that he would be a first-round pick considering his collegiate record, his hustle, his decisiveness and leadership.
But when the first round rolled and his name was not called, there must have been some kind of panic inside of him. He must have wondered whether his name will ever be called and what a jolt that would be for his psyche. After all, he was featured as having trained in the US under Jimmy Alapag, the wily former PBA star, to prepare himself for this draft.
Then suddenly, at No. 14, he was called.
It was the second round, but it did not matter for the 5-foot-11 guard.
Nelle plays down draft slide
“I don’t mind if it’s first round, second round, third round. Basta may isang team na nagtitiwala sa akin that’s the only thing I look at,” he said. “I don’t really mind because every team has its priorities on what they need. And I think Northport drafted me because they might need me.”
Selected low in the draft didn’t’ disappoint him, either.
“Honestly, hindi naman, kasi iba-iba ang kailangan ng mga teams. You just have to respect the other teams,” Nelle added.
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