Record number of PBA hopefuls
By Sunday, the number of PBA draft applicants is expected to reach a hundred.
PBA media bureau head Willie Marcial said 95 aspirants have so far filed their application at the PBA office in Libis, Quezon City.
Of the 95, 15 are foreigners with Filipino roots.
“This is a record number of applicants in the league’s 40-year history,” said Marcial. “But I guess that’s because we now have 12 teams in the league and the rookies feel there’s a better chance for them to be drafted.”
As confirmed by Globalport owner Mikee Romero, 6-foot-1 Filipino-American guard Stanley Pringle will be the first pick for the coming season. Global Port is the first to pick in the drafting sequence.
Mikee said the former ABL star from Virginia Beach joined him, team alternate governor Erick Arejola and coach Pido Jarencio in scouting the draft talents in the recent NCAA All-Star game.
“Later we evaluated our prospects over dinner.”
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Rain or Shine, the second to pick in the drafting order, was still undecided on their choice in the first round, which they acquired through trade from Meralco, but coach Yeng Guiao said they are considering a number of players, including 6-foot-5 guard-forward Matthew Ganuelas, 6-0 guard Kevin Alas and 6-2 forward Ronald Pascual.
All three played for NLEX, which owns six of the seven championships contested so far in the PBA D-League.
“Oh, I almost forgot. There’s a fourth player in our short list: Manny Pacquiao.”
It was hard to tell if Yeng was joking, but that’s exactly what he said.
The Draft will be held at Robinsons Manila.
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Jean Marc Pingris Sr. drove for eight hours from Normandy to Antibes in France but just to see his son, Jean Marc Jr.
For Marc, it was a most-anticipated reunion with his France-based father whom he had not seen for a couple of years.
“Marc and his family were supposed to take a vacation in Normandy in 2013, but he was picked to play for Gilas Pilipinas and he didn’t want to miss the chance to serve flag and country,” related TV5’s Paul Mata.
When his father and stepmother took him on a sightseeing tour of Cannes, Marc was tickled pink when a Filipino recognized him.
The trio had pasta and wine dinner later, reported Maki Macabagdal, who chronicles the exploits of Marc.
“He was overjoyed to see his father again,” Macabagdal said.
