Chasing draft deadline

The deadline for Filipino players to join the PBA draft this year falls at 5 p.m. today and the PBA office in Libis will accept applications only up to that time. As we went to press, there was still no word if Gilas pool recruits Garvo Lanete, Kevin Alas, Ronald Pascual and Matt Ganuelas would throw their hat in the derby. One of the Gilas blue-chippers Jake Pascual has filed his application and so far, the draft list is up to 78 players, including 15 Fil-foreigners.

A week ago, the list named only 46 applicants. But as the days went by, more and more players sent in their applications. Among the recent applicants were 6-4 Frank Golla of Ateneo, 6-5 Papot Paredes of La Salle, 6-6 Raul Soyud of UP, 5-10 Juami Tiongson of Ateneo, 6-6 Prince Caperal of Arellano, 6-7 John Montemayor of JRU, 6-6 John Foronda of Letran, 5-10 Jonathan Banal, 5-11 Juneric Baloria of Perpetual, 5-11 Nard Pinto of Arellano, 6-0 Paolo Taha of St. Benilde, 6-4 Jamieson Cortes of Letran and 6-5 Jake Pascual of San Beda.

 Two Banal first cousins are in the applicants’ list. Jonathan’s father Koy is an assistant coach with Barako Bull while Gab’s father Joel was head coach of Mapua, Ateneo, Talk ‘N’ Text and Alaska. If Alas joins the draft, he’ll be another son whose father is a PBA assistant coach. Louie Alas is an assistant coach with Alaska.

Jake Pascual’s entry raised to six the San Beda players in the draft. The others are Rome de la Rosa, Kyle Pascual, David and Anthony Semerad and Jess Villahermosa. Players currently active in the NCAA season are allowed to apply for the draft but will not be able to sign contracts until the end of their varsity commitments. A few UAAP players requested for a similar arrangement but were turned down by the Board of Trustees. Another Pascual, Ronald, is expected to beat the draft deadline. Ronald, 26, filed for the 2012 draft but withdrew at the last minute to stay in the Gilas cadets pool. Ronald’s San Sebastian varsity teammates Calvin Abueva and Ian Sangalang are now making waves in the PBA so his time is due.

Consensus first overall pick Stanley Pringle reportedly asked for a salary of $20,000 a month which is out of the question considering that the rookie cap is P150,000 and the veteran limit is P420,000. A source from Globalport, which owns the first overall pick, said Pringle was apparently misinformed. Pringle is represented by the California-based agency Pensack Sports Management which negotiated his contract with the Indonesia Warriors in the ABL. Pringle was eligible to play in the ABL as an Asean import because of his Filipino heritage.

A Globalport source said both Pringle and his American agent are easy to talk to. “We don’t see a problem with Stanley,” he said. “He’s a quality player and he’ll make an immediate impact in the PBA. Stanley and his agent are good people. They didn’t know about our cap rules. Now that it’s all clear, we see no reason why Stanley won’t sign with us. He’ll be our first pick for sure.”

Under PBA rules, a Fil-foreigner must play in at least two PBA D-League conferences before gaining eligibility to join the draft. The exceptions are if the player is 27 or over and if he has played for the Philippine national team. Because Pringle is 27, he is exempt from passing through the PBA D-League.

Two-time UAAP MVP Bobby Ray Parks would’ve been eligible for the draft but he recently said he’s not applying to keep his options open for a shot at the US big leagues. Parks, 21, has really nothing to lose if he joins the draft and could still try his luck in the US. If he’s drafted and things don’t work out in the US, Parks could slip into the PBA with no problem – he wouldn’t need to wait another year. Take the case of Brazilian Tiago Splitter of the San Antonio Spurs. He was picked on the first round by the Spurs in the 2007 draft but didn’t make his NBA debut until the 2010-11 season. In Parks’ case, he could be drafted this year and at least, stay eligible to play in the PBA if the US window closes. Parks has until 5 p.m. today to decide whether or not to apply for the draft. If he applies, Parks will be a first round choice without a doubt.

Fil-Am guard Chris Banchero, who led San Miguel Beer to the ABL title last season, will be a first round pick, too. Banchero, 24, is a 6-1 guard from Seattle Pacific University and like Pringle, is expected to make a strong impact in the league as a rookie. Rain Or Shine has the second overall pick and will also choose ninth in the first round. If there is a team that’s hot for Banchero, Rain Or Shine could trade the pick assuming there’s someone of value in the exchange. But Banchero and Paul Lee would be a formidable backcourt combination for the Painters with Gabe Norwood steady at the three-spot. It’s not likely Rain Or Shine will deal away the chance to tap Banchero.

Other first round options include Jericho Cruz and Rodney Brondial of Adamson, Jake and Kyle Pascual and De la Rosa of San Beda, Philip Morrison of Asbury University, Clark Bautista of UST, Baloria, Soyud and Tiongson. Of course, Kia Motors will use its 11th overall pick in the first round to choose WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao who’s entering the league as playing coach. Pacquiao’s participation in the draft guarantees a mammoth crowd to witness the proceedings at the Robinson’s Manila on Aug. 24. Another Pacquiao, Rene, is in the draft list. He is the champion’s first cousin and stands 6-5.

An interesting applicant is 27-year-old actor Ritchie Paul Gutierrez whose parents are Eddie Gutierrez and Annabelle Rama. Gutierrez is listed 6-1 and weighs 210 pounds. His application does not mention a league where he has played. Collegiate rivals Ateneo and La Salle are represented in the draft by two former varsity players each. The ex-Blue Eagles are Golla and Tiongson while the ex-Green Archers are Paredes and Jovet Mendoza.

Yesterday was the last day of the contestability period for Fil-foreign draft applicants. On Monday, the PBA will oblige all prospective rookies to go through biometrics and two days later, the final list of approved draft candidates will be released by commissioner Chito Salud.