MANILA, Philippines – Converge pulled no surprises when it made Justine Baltazar the No. 1 selection in the PBA Season 49 Rookie Draft at the Glorietta in Makati on Sunday, July 14.
Long rumored as the FiberXers’ target, the former La Salle big man bolsters a franchise looking to turn its fortunes around after a forgettable campaign last season that saw it compile a 3-19 record and finish last in the two conferences.
The tallest in the draft pool, the 6-foot-7 Baltazar enters the PBA following stints in the Japan B. League and the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League, where he is the reigning MVP with the Pampanga Giant Lanterns.
Also as expected, Blackwater selected Sedrick Barefield with the second overall pick as the Filipino-American guard finally makes his way to the Philippines’ premier league after a botched attempt to join the previous draft.
Barefield boasts of arguably the most impressive credentials among the rookie hopefuls, having played in the NBA G League and serving as an import for clubs in Lithuania, Greece, Taiwan, and Guinea.
Moving up in the draft after a shock trade that saw it deal Christian Standhardinger and Stanley Pringle to Terrafirma to address its aging roster, Barangay Ginebra added further youth by choosing RJ Abarrientos with the third pick.
Abarrientos, 24, is coming off a two-year overseas stint as he saw action for the Ulsan Hyundai Mobis Phoebus in the Korean Basketball League (KBL) and the Shinshu Brave Warriors in the Japan B. League.
Gin Kings head coach Tim Cone gets his hands on another Abarrientos after mentoring PBA legend and former league MVP Johnny Abarrientos in Alaska.
With the fourth pick, Phoenix beefed up its frontline by selecting Kai Ballungay, a 6-foot-6 forward who helped Ateneo win a championship in his two seasons with the Blue Eagles.
Rounding out the top five, NorthPort picked talented guard Dave Ildefonso, who returns home following a two-year run with the Suwon KT Sonicboom in the KBL.
Ildefonso and Abarrientos missed the proceedings as they currently play for the Strong Group Athletics in the William Jones Cup in Taiwan together with fellow draftee Caelan Tiongson.
The youngest in the draft, 22-year-old Jonnel Policarpio of La Salle landed at NLEX as the sixth pick after earning MVP honors in the Draft Combine.
With back-to-back picks, Rain or Shine chose Filipino-American forward Tiongson and Filipino-Swedish guard Felix Lemetti at No. 7 and No. 8, respectively.
Former Adamson star Jerom Lastimosa got picked by Magnolia at No. 9 followed by other UAAP standouts Mark Nonoy (Terrafirma) and CJ Cansino (Meralco) at No. 10 and No. 11, respectively.
Avan Nava, a Filipino-Canadian guard who also saw action in the KBL, completed the first round as he joined San Miguel as the 12th overall selection. – Rappler.com
