La Salle aces tempting D-League rookie draft choices

Three La Salle standouts lead a bunch of collegiate stars hoping to emerge among the top picks in the 2014 Rookie Draft of the PBA D-League Monday.

La Salle big men Arnold Van Opstal and Norbert Torres and guard Almond Vosotros, who all played key roles in the Archers’ UAAP title run last season, banner 153 hopefuls, led by projected top choice Moala Tautuaa, a 6-foot-7 United States-born Filipino-Tongan.

“Majority of the aspirants are good enough to be starters,” said PBA commissioner Chito Salud. “And so I am convinced that we will have a level playing field when the Aspirants Cup begins next month. I am also sure that fans will enjoy watching every game.”

Cagayan Valley will pick first, followed by Tanduay Light, Cafe France, Cebuana Lhuillier, Jumbo Plastic, MJM M-Builders and Wangs Basketball

New teams AMA University, Bread Story, Hapee Toothpaste, MP Hotel and Racal Motorsales Corp. will go through a lottery to determine their drafting order.

Tautuaa, who was undrafted in the 2012 NBA Rookie Draft but now sees action for the Kuala Lumpur Dragons in the Asean Basketball League (ABL), heads the 18 foreign aspirants with Filipino roots along with Jeramy King, a Filipino-American guard who also went undrafted in the 2014 NBA Rookie Draft, and Maverick Ahanmisi, who played for University of Minnesota.

Other varsity stars in the pool are University of the East’s Roi Sumang and Bong Galanza, and San Sebastian’s Bradwyn Guinto.

The fifth season of the pro league’s farm tournament unfolds on Oct. 27.