Noli, Chino to meet on PBA draft applicants

Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) commissioner Noli Eala and Philippine Basketball League (PBL) commissioner Chino Trinidad aren’t on a collision course. Far from it.

Although Trinidad reacted sharply to Eala’s threat of sanctioning PBL and other players who fail to show up at the pre-draft camp tomorrow, it wasn’t as if he was angling for a fight.

And Eala later clarified he had no intention to encroach on Trinidad’s turf.

"It’s not an issue of jurisdiction," said Eala, a lawyer. "While we talked of sanctions, we never defined what and how we would impose those sanctions. Of course, we will always temper the sanctions depending on the circumstances. I understand there are players with PBL commitments. I also understand there are some players who are still not in the country and are experiencing difficulty in booking flights. The idea of imposing sanctions is in line with institutionalizing the pre-draft camp as mandatory for all applicants."

This afternoon, Eala and Trinidad are getting together at the Makati Coliseum to meet the PBL applicants to the PBA draft set this Sunday at the Glorietta in Makati.

There are 37 former and current PBL players in the draft roster. Among the prominent PBL stars expected to go high in the draft are Mike Cortez, Romel Adducul, Enrico Villanueva, Eddie Laure, Marlon Legaspi, Ronald Tubid, and Sunday Salvacion.

Yesterday, Trinidad sent Eala an official letter of invitation to attend the meeting.

"We would like to request your honorable presence to give these ‘young turks’ an inspirational message and a glimpse of what to expect in the PBA under your leadership," said Trinidad in his letter to Eala. "I believe this is the best opportune time to start a rapport with these future superstars of your league and encourage them to show up (tomorrow) to make the staging of your first-ever PBA draft camp a big success."

The day before, Eala sent his own letter to Trinidad, assuring the PBL commissioner that "we have no intentions of disrupting the remaining calendar of your present season."

In his letter, Eala said: "It is our intention to institutionalize the rookie camp as one of the pre-requisites for eligibility in the PBA draft. Moreover, this event is envisioned to showcase the basketball skills and talents of the players applying to play in the PBA for team coaches and officials to see and to immediately initiate a bond with the PBA fans."

Eala asked for the PBL’s cooperation "to make possible the mandatory appearance of your players" in the camp but said, "we shall respect any prior commitments which the PBL players have in the enforcement of league policy."

In a text message to The Star, Eala said he will attend today’s meeting and added that "Philippine basketball is definitely united at the PBA and PBL level."

Trinidad said he guarantees the attendance of the PBL players in the meeting.

Of the 13 draft applicants who are 6-5 and above, 10 trace their roots to the PBL–6-5 Villanueva, 6-5 Clarence Cole, 6-5 Billy Mamaril, 6-7 Rysal Castro, 6-5 Adonis Sta. Maria, 6-5 Reynel Hugnatan, 6-6 Adducul, 6-5 John Ferriols, 6-5 Marlon Legaspi, and 6-9 Vincent San Diego. The others in the "tall" list are 6-5 Eugene Tejada, 6-6 Crispin Guinto, and 6-6 Chris Corbin.

Four of the nine applicants weighing at least 220 pounds are from the PBL–225-pound Villanueva, 220-pound Adducul, 230-pound Ferriols, and 230-pound San Diego. The others in the "heavy" category are 245-pound Guinto, 250-pound Richmond de los Cientos, 230-pound William Villa, 225-pound Harvey Carey and 229-pound Corbin.

The tallest in the draft is San Diego and the shortest, at 5-8, is another PBL veteran Edwin Pimentel. The heaviest is De los Cientos and the lightest is 6-4, 145-pound Khomar Khanshroff who was born in Eastern Samar to a Filipina, Lourdes Cabus, and an Indian, Bansilal Khanshroff. The 23-year-old Khanshroff played basketball at Mercedes High School in Eastern Samar in 1996.

The oldest draft applicant is PBL veteran Jeffrey Sanders at 31. Cid White, a former Metropolitan Basketball Association (MBA) player, would’ve been the oldest at 32 but is ineligible for the draft being a US passport holder. The youngest is Tubid at 21.

There are 20 MBA veterans in the draft and 17 of them played in the PBL.

University of the East lists the most products in the draft. The former Warriors are Corbin, Tubid, Raymund Soto, Jose Leonito Villar, and Rodel Manuel. La Salle, Adamson and Jose Rizal University are contributing three apiece. The former Archers are Cortez, San Diego, and Sta. Maria. The former Falcons are Laure, Chris Dennis Madrid, and Luis Salvador. The former Heavy Bombers are Ernani Epondulan, Ariel Capus, and Rendell de la Rea.