ALOHI Robins-Hardy’s ongoing draft conundrum has taken quite a turn upon declaring what seemed to be a ‘Farm Fresh or nothing’ ultimatum.
In turn, the PVL made its stance clear that sanctions and even a three-year ban could be issued in the event that Robins-Hardy refuses to play if she was to be drafted by a team other than the Foxies.
READ: Alohi vows to go home if a PVL team other than Farm Fresh drafts her
With her name appearing in the final 57-player draft list, it’s all systems go for the Fil-Hawaiian playmaker ahead of a night of many unknowns.
The ball is still very much in Farm Fresh’s hands in terms of where Robins-Hardy will land by draft night’s end.
But they’d also know best that there are multiple approaches and workarounds for them to consider, with some requiring a fair share of risks and compromises.
Here are the six main scenarios that could unfold on Sunday and could either end or extend this draft saga once and for all.
SCENARIO 1: Farm Fresh uses 3rd overall pick on Alohi Robins-Hardy
All’s well that ends well if the most straightforward scenario will play out on draft night.
With the third overall pic, the Foxies can end a long and winding saga on Robins-Hardy’s PVL eligibility since last year.
Securing her outright at number three will make Robins-Hardy the PVL’s highest Fil-foreign draft pick yet, bar a late twist from Capital1 or Galeries Tower.
More importantly, Robins-Hardy can hit reset and play out her PVL career on her preferred terms as a Farm Fresh setter than a coach this time around.
Get Alohi at number three and this will be a done story.
SCENARIO 2: Farm Fresh waits for Round 2 to draft Robins-Hardy at 16th overall (4th in Round 2)
Even as PVL commissioner Sherwin Malonzo pointed out, it is in this scenario in which things could get tricky for Farm Fresh in terms of securing Robins-Hardy’s playing services.
An abundance of talent, 57 of them to be exact, puts Farm Fresh in a position of luxury where it will have 55 options on hand by the time it makes the No. 3 pick.
While there is no denying that Robins-Hardy is an international-caliber player who knows a thing or two about succeeding for club and country, there’ll be more than a few other promising options worth taking another look at.
The Foxies will be left with 42 choices in the second round with the 16th overall selection.
But who’s to say Robins-Hardy will still be available by then?
SCENARIO 3: Capital1 or Galeries Tower to draft Robins-Hardy before Farm Fresh’s 3rd pick
Call it an ultimatum, a warning or a mere declaration, but that statement couldn’t be any clearer: Robins-Hardy has Farm Fresh as her first and only choice.
Come draft night, however, it will be the teams — not the players — that’ll choose their preferred aspirant.
As earlier stated, before the third pick comes the first one from Capital1 and the second from Galeries Tower.
How likely are they to play spoiler to Farm Fresh’s plans?
If we were to base it from their remarks during the draft combine, the Solar Spikers are leaning closer to landing consensus top pick Bella Belen and a middle blocker in the succeeding round.
Practically the same sentiment was aired by Highrisers head coach Lerma Giron when asked about their No. 2 pick.
With Capital1, however, Alas Pilipinas head coach Jorge Souza de Brito took the coaching reins from Roger Gorayeb. The Brazilian mentor’s preference for taller players might just swing this draft in a rather unexpected direction.
SCENARIO 4: Another team drafts Robins-Hardy between Farm Fresh’s 3rd and 16th picks
If it won’t be Capital1 or Galeries Tower and Farm Fresh decides to take someone else at No. 3, then there will be 12 chances for Robins-Hardy to be drafted elsehwere before Farm Fresh picks again at No. 16.
Between the third and 16th picks, Nxled will have two selections (fourth and 13th picks) while every other team will have one.
Capital1 and Galeries Tower would have already drafted two players by the time Farm Fresh goes for its second pick of the night in Round 2.
This is where it could get messy if Robins-Hardy was to be drafted by another team.
It could either have her walk away from Philippine volleyball, as she declared in her statement, and take her talents overseas which will leave the PVL team that drafted her in a vulnerable state.
SCENARIO 5: Sister-team ZUS Coffee drafts Robins-Hardy instead
The PVL has barred direct sister-team transactions and conduits from partaking in player transfer activities.
But if Robins-Hardy was to land elsewhere other than the Foxies, then the next best option would be their sister team in ZUS Coffee.
Both the Foxies and the Thunderbelles, being sister teams, are under the Strong Group Athletics (SGA) stable led by business tycoon Frank Lao.
If ZUS Coffee was to use its No. 5 pick in Round 1 on Robins-Hardy, the team will be mandated to offer her a minimum two-year contract before the right of first refusal can take effect come the third year.
All remaining picks from Round 2 onwards will be required to receive a minimum one-year contract offer from the teams that drafted them.
SCENARIO 6: Robins-Hardy goes undrafted and gets signed by Farm Fresh as a free agent
If for some reason Robins-Hardy ends draft night without a team, then it opens up the door perfectly for Farm Fresh to jump back in.
Let’s say the Foxies go on to take the route of choosing the best young prospects in the draft, and no other team takes Robins-Hardy, then she’ll enter free agency in which any team can pick her up as a direct signing — the move Farm Fresh wanted to do last year to begin with.
The only difference between drafting her and opting for the free agency pipeline are the league’s pre-imposed contractual terms.
Apart from the aforementioned contract offer rules for rookies, rookie free agents may be offered a minimum one-conference contract instead of either a one or two-year contract.
Given that Robins-Hardy already signed a five-year deal with Farm Fresh, albeit under unspecified terms, this might be the least likely yet still possible path for the Foxies to get their prized playmaker over the line to the pros after over a year-long waiting game from the sidelines.
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