Welcoat has lock on top rookie draftee

MACAU – No way Welcoat will deal away its right for the No. 1 pick overall in the 2008 Annual Draft.

Welcoat co-owners Raymund Yu and Terry Que stressed this yesterday with at least two teams still trying to work a trade deal involving the draft right a few days before the staging of the draft exercise Sunday at the Market! Market! Place in Taguig.

“It’s ours and it’s not for sale,” said Que, in an overseas phone interview with The STAR.

“They’ve been trying to get the pick as early as two months ago. If we’re to part with it, we’d have done that earlier, not now with three days to go before draft day,” said Yu.

Talk n Text and the San Miguel group have been persistent in their bids to acquire the pick, which could be used on prized Fil-Am player Gabe Norwood.

Ricky Vargas of Talk n Text and Robert Non of SMC apparently both made a final trade offer but Welcoat’s Mamerto Mondragon declined on the sidelines of the PBA board annual meeting here.

Mondragon, the Welcoat governor, stressed the Welcoat stand on the No. 1 pick as he left Macau ahead of the group Wednesday to drop by Hong Kong before returning to Manila.

“He didn’t relay the offer to us. He didn’t need to because he already knew we’re keeping the draft right,” said Que.

Sources said Norwood, a Philippine passport holder who has played for the RP team in two international tourneys, is to get his Bureau of Immigration confirmation and Department of Justice affirmation today making him eligible for the draft.

Talk n Text coach Chot Reyes is interested on both Norwood and Jared Dillinger – his discoveries from the US NCAA when he’s still coaching the RP team. However, he can only draft one using their right on the No. 2 pick.

Solomon Mercado, another Fil-Am, and Jayson Castro are the other highly touted players in this year’s draft pool.

Other noted talents include Jeff Chan, Jonathan Fernandez, Beau Belga, Rob Reyes, TY Tang, Mark Borboran, Kelvin Gregorio, Cholo Villanueva, NCAA Most Valuable Player (MVP) Kelvin dela Peña, Kelvin Delafu, Pong Escobal, Larry Rodriguez, Patrick Cabahug, Christian Espiritu, Lawrence Bonus, Chris Viardo and Charles Waters.

Completing the 47-man list are Ryan Regalado, Mark Anthony Cuevas, Andrew Catigan, Diomar Facum, Michael Dizon, Ismael Junio, Christian Reyes, Angelus Raymundo, Eian Yu, Dennis Concha, Frankly Nailon, Michael Gonzales, Mark Yee, Rene Cunanan, Eder Saldua, Nestor David, Earn Saguindel, Nizar Kiram, Ferdinand Melocoton, Juan Luis Abad, Christian Cabatu, Nathaniel Cruz, Lei Mar Navarro, Jan Coching, Michael Olino, Chito Jaime and Ricky Natividad.

The names of Norwood, Dillinger, Viardo and Waters have asterisk, pending the completion of their documents.

Magnolia owns the No. 3 pick, followed by Talk n Text, Alaska, Air21, Purefoods, Ginebra and Sta. Lucia to complete the first round.