Gilas to pre-select draftees

There is no special Gilas lottery in the PBA rookie draft at the Robinsons Place Manila this afternoon but SBP will pre-select up to four players for nomination to the national team in the future. The PBA Board of Governors approved the new arrangement with Gilas in a meeting last Tuesday. A special Gilas draft was held for the first time in 2019 with five players picked in the order of PBA selection. A special Gilas draft was repeated in 2021 with four chosen.

Gilas coach Chot Reyes, who is in Hanoi for the SEA Games, is expected to phone PBA commissioner Willie Marcial before the draft to name the players for a possible call-up. The talk is UP’s Javi Gomez de Liaño, Arellano’s Justin Arana and Ateneo’s Gian Mamuyac are under consideration. La Salle’s Justine Baltazar would’ve been a Gilas pick as he played five games in the FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers in 2020-21, two games in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Belgrade last year and two games in the World Cup qualifiers this year. But the former Archer withdrew from the draft a few days ago to accept an offer to play in the Japanese B.League.

Under the new arrangement with Gilas, a pre-selected player may sign with the PBA and begin action in the pro league but will be available to join the national team whenever he is called up. Blackwater coach Ariel Vanguardia said the team will select Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser with the first overall pick. Fil-Am hotshot Sedrick Barefield, an NBA G-League veteran, was in contention for the top pick but was ruled ineligible because his Philippine passport is still not in hand. Barefield’s agent Marvin Espiritu said the passport is in process.

A notable eligible player who declined to enter the draft is UP’s Ricci Rivero who’s reportedly headed to play in Japan. The PBA rule is a player who skips the draft on his first window of eligibility may apply within three years through a special lottery or after a five-year sit-out. The draft window will always be open to those who skip the draft as there is no age limit for locals to enter unlike Fil-foreigners who are eligible only until they’re 30. Players who missed the draft in the past despite their eligibility include Thirdy Ravena and Dwight Ramos.