AT age 39, Marko Villaronte is trying his luck in the PBA Season 49 Draft - and with the deep pool of talent it has, he definitely needs a lot of it.
Little is known of Villaronte, who stands at 5-foot-9 and a product of the Philippine State College of Aeronautics (PHISCA). He is the oldest among 70 players who applied in this draft and will turn 40 on November 30.
Villaronte also played sparingly in the scrimmages of the PBA Draft Combine even as his team reached the semifinals, led by Kai Ballungay, one of the possible top three picks in this batch.
In a very brief conversation with SPIN.ph, Villaronte said he lives in Dasmariñas City in Cavite where he plays in community leagues, and recently won a championship last March.
During his time with PHISCA when he was younger, Villaronte said he played in intramurals and inter-department leagues and was a captain for his teams.
He had to stop schooling for some time as he needed to work to help his family. But Villaronte was determined to finish college - and finally did in 2018 with a degree in aeronautics engineering, something he takes pride in.
Another thing he's proud of? Being a never-say-die Ginebra fan.
READ: Will deep PBA Draft gift Ginebra new big man or point guard at No. 10?
“Gusto ko lang din malaman (kung kaya ko),” said the softspoken aspirant.
Villaronte said all is not lost for him if he doesn’t make it to the PBA, as he will continue to play basketball as a form of recreation and exercise.
“Habang tumatanda, kailangan ng exercise,” said Villarente.
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