MERALCO coach Luigi Trillo refers to the PBA Rookie Draft as a hit-and-miss kind of thing.
And it’s going to be that way on Sunday when a record 124 players will be made available to the 12 teams in the annual proceedings that serve as gateway to their dream of playing in Asia’s pioneering pro league.
For the last decade, the Bolts had not owned a pick higher than No. 4 when they selected Chris Newsome in the 2014 draft.
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Now, the team will get to select in the first round at No. 8
“Hopefully, now maka-tsamba kami ng isa,” said Trillo, the last man to steer the fabled Alaska franchise to a championship in the 2013 Commissioner’s Cup.
But while this year’s rookie crop is a bumper one, there are players who are consensus picks of landing in the Top 5, more so in the first round of the annual event.
From Trillo, to fellow champion coach Jojo Lastimosa, deputies Richard Del Rosario, Mau Belen, Adonis Tierra, to former PBA coaches Topex Robinson, Ariel Vanguardia, and Louie Alas, SPIN.ph did a quick survey on who they think would be the first five players whose names would be called on stage at the activity center of the Market! Market! in Taguig.
Below are their choices, but not necessarily in order.
STEPHEN HOLT
At 31 years old, he’s truly ripe for the PBA. Although no one had seen him play yet in the country – his wife just gave birth in the U.S. and he failed to attend the Draft Combine – teams are anticipating him to be a Mikey Williams in the making. Perhaps even better. The 6-foot-4 product of St. Mary’s suited up in the NBA G League and the NBL in Australia, where he was once named as part of the All-NBL Second Team. He also had stints in Spain, Poland, Kazakhstan, Slovenia, and Romania, giving him tons of experience playing overseas. His mother is a Filipina, while his father Greg Holt, an American, once played for the University of Portland.
DESCHON WINSTON
His final season at De La Salle didn’t exactly go well, but his stock as a top prospect didn’t decline. The 6-foot-4 combo guard is an explosive player who previously played three years in college at Central Michigan University, an NCAA Division 1 school before taking his act to Taft Avenue. He was a huge part of the Green Archers’ return to the Final Four of UAAP Season 84, where they lost to eventual champion UP Fighting Maroons. He led the league in the MVP race in his final year with the green-and-white, but a calf injury denied him of a grand exit at La Salle, which ironically, failed to reach the Final Four.
LUIS VILLEGAS
He was a one-and-done at University of the East, but made a lasting impression with his solid plas for the resurgent Warriors. While the Recto-based school didn’t make it to the Final Four, he pumped life back into a team that went 0-14 the previous season. The 6-foot-7 Villegas averaged an all-around numbers of 13.1 points, 8.1 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 1.9 steals in his only season with the Warriors (5-9), enough to merit him a spot in the UAAP Season 85 Mythical Team. He previously saw action for TNT in the PBA 3x3, where unfortunately, he suffered an ACL injury that kept him out of the Draft Combine. Still, the setback won’t keep him from being picked high by the coaches in the first round.
ZAVIER LUCERO
He’s another injured player (ACL) who won’t be available to play right away after undergoing surgery early this year. But the University of the Philippines stalwart remains on the radar of several teams knowing fully well the huge potential of the 6-foot-7 Fil-Am, who’s worth the wait. A product of Cal State Maritime Academy, He was good enough right in his first year with the Fighting Maroons, he finished a fighting third in the MVP race won by Ateneo’s Ange Kouame. He did make it to the Mythical Five and was a major player in UP ending its 36-year title drought by dethroning Ateneo Blue Eagles for the Season 84 championship. The Fighting Maroons were back in the finals a year later, where Lucero unfortunately, went down with the ACL injury in Game 2, and contributed to the team’s failed bid for a repeat.
KEITH DATU
His heft, length, and athleticism makes him a can’t-miss prospect. The 27-year-old California native played in the PBA 3x3, most recently with Wilcon Depot. A product of Chico State, he was supposed to apply in last year’s PBA draft before deciding to defer his plans for another season, opting to settle in the country first and showcase his skills and ability by playing in the half-court game.
OTHER POTENTIAL FIRST ROUND PICKS MENTIONED:
Christian David, Brandon Bates, Henry Galinato, Ricci Rivero, Fran Yu, Ken Tuffin, and Kemark Carino.
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