JAPETH Aguilar is set to join the Santa Cruz Warriors’ training camp in Santa Cruz, California on Friday (Saturday, Manila time), as he vies for a spot in the team’s final roster.
The Warriors made the 6-9 Aguilar the 13th selection in the seventh round - 109th overall - during last weekend’s D-League draft, moving him a step closer to his dream of becoming the first Filipino to play in the NBA.
Marvin Espiritu, Aguilar’s Philippine-based agent, said that from a pool of 18 players in training camp, the Warriors will start whittling down the number to its final 10-man roster in time for the league's November 22 tip-off.
Santa Cruz is an affiliate of the Golden State Warriors, who are playing their home games before a large concentration of Filipino migrants.
Prior to joining the D-League draft, Aguilar tried out with various NBA and D-League teams since he arrived in the United States in September. The 2009 top PBA rookie pick actually worked out with the San Antonio Spurs, the New Orleans Hornets, and the Los Angeles Clippers as well as D-League teams Bakersfield Jam, Santa Cruz Warriors, and Los Angeles D-Fenders, among others.
The former Talk ‘N Text slotman joined his last D-League tryout with the Iowa Energy on October 20 in Chicago, Illinois.
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