Never give up on a dream


Three rookies made their PBA debut in the ongoing Philippine Cup, realizing a dream they never gave up on. None played in the Governors’ and Commissioner’s Cups earlier this season but finally got the chance to suit up when the stars aligned.
The “better late than never” three are Meralco’s 6-4 JP Magullano, 26, Phoenix’ 5-10 JC Cullar, 28 and Converge’s 6-7 Ronan Santos, 28. Magullano and Santos were both third round picks in last year’s draft while Cullar was Rain or Shine’s fourth round selection in 2023.
Four players who’d seen action in the PBA previously but not this season found their way back to the league in the Philippine Cup. Converge’s 6-4 Jackson Corpuz, 36, has reemerged after a seven-year journey with the Terrafirma franchise and Magnolia. Blackwater’s 6-3 Troy Mallillin, 26, and 6-7 Prince Caperal, 31, returned to extend their PBA careers. Ginebra’s 6-2 Jayson David, 28, also persevered and was back in coach Tim Cone’s rotation when a slot opened up in the lineup after LA Tenorio took a leave to focus on his new job as Gilas Youth head coach.
The lesson from the seven players is if you work hard, show discipline and stay the course, good things will happen. The three rookies hung on to their dreams while the four comebacking players never lost hope that they’d be back in the PBA sooner or later.
Corpuz’ story is particularly inspiring because he was undrafted in the 2014 draft. He made a name for himself as a blue-collar worker in the PBA D-League and got a call-up from Mahindra in 2017. Corpuz posted a career-high 28 points in 2018 and in the 2021 Governors’ Cup, led the league in field goal percentage at .625. As a roughhousing enforcer, he’s had his share of fines, suspensions and injuries but despite his “down” moments, nobody could ever question his toughness on the floor. Converge gave him a chance to come back this conference and while Corpuz is averaging only 1.7 points, 3.0 rebounds and 8:02 minutes off the bench in seven games, he’s a solid option as a frontline reliever.
Mallillin was San Miguel Beer’s third round pick in 2023 but the team’s first choice after trading its first and second round slots. He was scoreless in two Philippine Cup games and tallied seven points in four Commissioner’s Cup outings last season then was cut. Blackwater came to Mallillin’s rescue this conference and he’s now averaging 4.4 points in five contests. He shot a career-high 10 points in a win over NorthPort and started in his last two appearances. Caperal, GlobalPort’s second round pick in 2014, went from the Batang Pier to Barako Bull to Phoenix to Mahindra to Ginebra and to NorthPort in nine years then tried his luck in the MPBL before coach Jeff Cariaso enlisted him for the Bossing.
Magullano, an EAC standout from Isabela, got his first taste of PBA action against TNT last week and is still to score his first point. Cullar, who was born in Italy and played at Benilde, is also looking to notch his first point in the PBA. Santos has scored two points in seven games for Converge, averaging 5:09 minutes. They’re holding on to their roster spots and living their dream.
- Latest
- Trending