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Friday, January 16, 2004
PBA ROOKIE DRAFT: 4 Cebuanos to try luck
THE PBA will add a brigade of young talents to its league when it hosts the PBA Rookie Draft tonight at the Glorietta Mall. A 49-player mix of Fil-foreigners, college stars, and amateur standouts make up a talent-rich gold mine for prospecting PBA teams.
A handful of ex-Cebu college stars have also waded into the draft pool. Former ex-University of Southern Philippines Panther Chris Guerrero, ex- Southwestern University Cobras Jessie Lumantas, Joselito Celiz, and Cesar Catli are among the draft prospects.
Shell owns the first overall pick, Purefoods the second, FedEx owns the third, fourth and ninth picks. San Miguel owns the fifth pick, Talk ‘N’ Text will pick sixth, Alaska seventh, while Sta. Lucia has the eighth spot .Coke will pick last in the 10-team slate.
Here are the top non-center prospects in the draft:
Rich Alvarez, 6-foot-4, 200 punds (forward) – A bit undersized as a PBA power forward, Alvarez also needs to improve on his jump shot, free-throw shooting and ball-handling skills, but will still be among the top prospects because of his physical gifts: He’s a 6-4 jumping jack who’ll pound the boards and finish plays with rim-rattling dunks.
Wesley Gonzales, 6-4, 175lb (F-guard) – An enigmatic talent who can dominate a game one night and disappear the next. Gonzales is a lean, 6-4 who brings a variety of skills to the table. His size, long arms, and great quickness makes him a terrific defender, and he is also adequate enough as a ballhandler and passer to play point forward for short stretches. Gonzales is also a terrific offensive rebounder and has a developing 3-point shot.
James Yap, 6-2, 185lb (G-F) – A pure scorer. Yap has the ability to take over games offensively in a variety of ways. Yap can shoot jumpers, finish the break, and is one of the best in slashing to the hoop. Although Yap doesn’t have out-of-this-world athleticism, he reads the defense extremely well and knows how to pick his spots in making decisions – a rare quality among young athletes. Yap should be among the Top 5 picks of this draft.
Gary David, 6-1, 175lb (G) – A 25-year-old late bloomer who is coming off an impressive 2003 season in the PBL and a stint in the SEA Games. Tall for a playmaker, David beats his foes with brains, technique, and an indomitable will to win. David doesn’t possess blinding speed or explosive jumping leaping ability, but he is a classic overachiever who could end up as a first-rounder.
Nelbert Omolon, 6-4, 185lb (F) – Omolon’s stock raised dramatically with a string of impressive performances during the draft camp scrimmages, and he figures to be one of the better combo-forward prospects in the draft. A cross between Lordy Tugade and Reynel Hugnatan, Omolon is a 6-4 who runs the break well, helps out on the boards and has a potent inside-outside game. Omolon’s combativeness and mental toughness are impressive.
Joachim Hawkins, 6-4, 205lb (F) – Another player who boosted his market value with an impressive showing at the camps. Hawkins runs the break well for a big man, has good touch inside 12 feet, and is a terrific rebounder. Hawkins could be the sleeper pick in this draft.
Richard Benitez Michael, 6-2, 190lb (F) – Like Lopez, this Filipino- Australian is still a mysterious entity. Michael is reputed to be a good outside shooter (a big plus with the shortage of pure shooters in the draft), and that – along with his size and credentials – should make him one of the prime point-guard prospects in the draft.
Denver Lopez, 6-1, 185lb (F) – Although unimpressive during the draft camp scrimmages, Lopez will make for a tantalizing prospect because of his size and US NCAA division I credentials. He played two years for Cal State- Fullerton.
Paul Artadi, 5-9, 165lb (F) – Arguably the purest playmaker of the bunch. Cat-quick and energetic, Artadi is a slick ball-handler, a great passer, and can drive opposing point men crazy with his scrappy brand of defense. And while not a pure shooter, Artadi is a good scorer who can score with 3-pointers, pull-up jumpers, or drives.
Solid in every aspect, Artadi’s only glaring weakness is his lack of size.
(January 16, 2004 issue)
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