THE battle for spots in the PBA begins for some unheralded players who were drafted last Sunday.
A total of 65 players were selected in Sunday’s PBA Draft that drew a total of 86 applicants. However, being drafted and being signed by the team are totally different stories, as most of the draftees will be fighting for those roster spots in the coming days.
Jayr Yasa, Marvin Moraga, and Martin Gozum are some of the draftees who will be eyeing for a place in the league, hoping that they will do enough in order for their PBA dreams to become a reality.
All three are Naascu products with Yasa, a former Philippine Christian University cager, being drafted third round by Meralco. Moraga, meanwhile, was selected by NorthPort in the fourth round after suiting up with STI and Our Lady of Fatima University, while Gozum, who also saw action in college with Fatima, was picked by TNT in the fifth round.
With the field being seen as one of the best batch in history, Yasa and Moraga admitted they were also surprised about being selected in the draft.
“Hindi po ako makapaniwala na na-draft ako kasi hindi ko po talaga ineexpect,” said the 28-year-old Yasa, a 6-foot-4 cager who also played with Navotas in the MPBL, Taguig in the NBL, and the PBA D-League as well.
“Sobrang overwhelming ‘yung pagtawag sa akin,” said the 31-year-old Moraga, who also had stints with Pampanga in the MPBL and Hazchem in the PBA D-League. “Hindi ko talaga inexpect. I was just watching nung tinawag ‘yung pangalan ko. Hindi ko alam kung paano mag-rereact. Nasurprise ako na tinawag ako.”
While they may be unknown players to some, for their coach Kiko Flores, they have what it takes to play in the PBA. Flores, the head coach of Asian Institute Maritime Studies varsity team and Kowloon House in commercial leagues, trained and coached the three players over the past few years and in the lead-up to the draft.
“Si Jayr, he really knows his role very well. Stretch four siya, he can shoot. He is very athletic and he can defend. Kaya niyang dumepensa ng two to five. Very agile siya. Parang kabayo tumakbo. Hindi niya gaanong inisip ng score. Naka-focus siya sa mga little things and intangibles. Tanggap niya yung role niya,” said Flores.
“Marvin is a two-way player. He can play defense and offense. For his experience, mabilis na siya makakaadjust. Alam niya kung ano ang kailangan niyang gawin para makatulong sa team. Ang ituturo na lang sa mga coaches, konting konti na lang. ‘Yung transition sa PBA, hindi siya gaano mahihirapan. If makikita niyo ‘yung PCBL, FBA, D-League, MPBL niya, makikita natin kung anong klaseng player siya,” said Flores.
The odds are stacked against them but Yasa and Moraga vowed to give their best if given a chance by their mother ballclubs.
“Kung ano po ‘yung role na ibibigay nila sa akin, gagampanan ko po talaga ‘yun. Mas mag-fofocus ako sa depensa. Marami na silang scorer talaga. Para po mabigyan din ng chance, magpopokus ako sa depensa. Magpo-focus ako sa small things, rebound, hustle, screens para makatulong sa team,” said Yasa.
“Kung bibigyan nila ako ng chance, ifufulfill ko lang ‘yung sistema nila coach doon. Maybe I can back up the veterans, mga guards doon. Puwede naman kasi ako mag-one or two. Kung saan nila ako kailangan. Hardwork and hustle,” said Moraga.
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