GBOY Babilonia looks to follow the footsteps of his father as he enters the PBA Rookie Draft on Sunday at the Robinson’s Place Manila.
The 6-foot-6 former Ateneo center is part of the 47 aspirants looking to enter the PBA, 16 years after his father Gido last played in the professional ranks.
Drafted fourth overall in the 1990 draft, Gido played 12 years in the PBA as well as in the defunct Metropolitan Basketball Association before his untimely passing in 2007.
Although he has so little recollection about his father’s basketball career being born during the later stage of Gido’s career, the younger Babilonia hopes to also duplicate what his father accomplished.
“Tatlo kaming magkakapatid. Ako ‘yung naglalaro so gusto ko naman maabot ‘yun,” said Babilonia, who saw action for the Bulacan Kuyas in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League.
“Kung buhay pa siya, tingin ko ipupush niya maabot ‘yung end goal which is the PBA. Sana maabot,” said Babilonia on Thursday.
The 23-year-old Babilonia believes he is ready for the PBA with the D-League and MPBL experience after suffering an ACL injury during his UAAP days with Ateneo.
“Tingin ko naman it’s time to enter the draft. Coming off a successful rehab naman after I torn my ACL in college. Tingin ko time na mag-enter sa draft. Okay naman ‘yung performance ko personally sa D-League at Maharlika kaya nag-decide ako magpa-draft,” he said.
Babilonia said he has been invited to practices of Alaska, TNT and Meralco in the lead-up to the draft but is keeping his expectations modest. He promised though that he will be giving his all on the defensive end if a team chooses him in the draft.
“More on my focus is sa defense naman. I really push myself on defense and really setting the tone on defense. ‘Yun ang itatry ko na masustain, ‘yung pag-perform ko sa defense. And then slowly getting my offense din naman kung hanggang kailan ako maglaro. I’m never too old to learn more things,” said Babilonia.
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