KEN Holmqvist and Brian Enriquez turned out to be the surprise picks of the PBA Season 46 Draft.
Barangay Ginebra pulled off the surprises of Sunday's proceedings when it chose Holmqvist with the 12th and last pick of the first round before grabbing Enriquez with the first pick of the second round.
The 6-foot-8 Holmqvist, a product of Far Eastern University, was picked by Ginebra despite taking a break from basketball to go home to his family in Norway where he was born and raised.
Enriquez, meanwhile, was selected at No. 13 by Ginebra with the draft pick it got in the trade that sent Jerrick Balanza to NorthPort.
SPIN.ph learned that Enriquez made a big impression in the workouts of other teams. But the other teams were beaten to the draw as Ginebra moved up from No. 12 in the second round to No. 1 by virtue of the Balanza trade.
Benedict Adamos was also one of the surprises in the draft. Pegged as a late first-rounder in mock drafts, Adamos was selected at sixth by Alaska although, like Enriquez, Adamos was also impressive in the pre-draft workouts, SPIN.ph has learned.
Badly in need of height, Blackwater also pulled off a surprise by tapping MPBL cager Rey Mark Acuno in the second round at No. 14.
Mark Olayon was also a surprise pick after NorthPort picked him at No. 24, the final pick of the second round.
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