CHICAGO - Even while he was playing overseas after foregoing his final year of collegiate eligibility in 2024, Geo Chiu had always looked at the PBA with distant, mystifying admiration
But last Sunday night, the 6-foot-9, 229-lb center found himself in the precipice of fulfilling a lifelong hoops ambition when his name was called during the Season 50 PBA Rookie Draft.
As an added bonus, the 24-year-old was taken No. 1 overall by Terrafirma Dyip.
READ Terrafirma No. 1 pick Chiu really headed to Magnolia? Webb responds
"It's something I never expected when I submitted my application at the PBA office, but I couldn't be happier. Becoming a PBA player was just a dream, yet God has blessed me with so much more," he told me via text message.
While being selected No.1 was a surprise to many, his former college coach saw the move as predictable.
"At his skill, size, basketball IQ, I don't think anyone could afford to pass on him. I'm confident that he's ready for the challenge and will measure up to the tough job ahead," Ateneo coach Tab Baldwin said in a telephone interview.
DREAM ON HOLD.
Committed to honor his contractual obligations with powerhouse Abra Weavers in the MPBL, Chiu isn't sure exactly when he can join Terrafirma full-time. He's also uncertain when the "contract negotiations start."
Well, if I'm Geo I wouldn't rush to the negotiating table where some horrid news awaits.
Per league rules, the No. 1 overall pick is eligible to earn a monthly max salary of P420,000 a month. Which means that while that bounty may be available to him, Terrafirma is not obligated to offer it.
And that seems to be the situation here after multiple sources told me that the Dyip have a much lower figure in mind, somewhere along the lines of P200,000 to P250,000 a month.
For a league that had just bragged about a 69 percent increase in revenue, raking in P193 million in Season 49, this is shameful.
The No. 1 pick isn't just numerical in nature. Often, the player who owns that once-a-year distinction becomes the face of the franchise and an ambassador for the league. His valuation needs to be more than what a bench player on a good team makes.
Chiu can choose to take the insult or stay at Abra where he makes P300,000 a month including generous perks and bonuses, I am told.
BUT HERE'S THE PROBLEM.
If Geo opts for another basketball geography outside the PBA, he will face a three-year ban. And because he is unlikely to ditch his PBA dream, he might be forced to a shotgun wedding.
This is why Quentin Millora-Brown didn't want to enter the PBA draft. His camp knew
the pay would be fantastically inferior compared to overseas options and they don't want to waste their time playing for a ramshackle franchise that is, by the way, still for sale after two botched deals.
Being taken as the No. 1 pick usually invites enormous pride and recognition. But it's never a joy ride with the Dyip.
Geo Chiu is looking for an agent. He might also need a sports psychologist to deal with the mental duress of playing for a team that went 3-30 in three conferences during the entire PBA Season 49.
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