Mahindra coach: Escoto, Eriobu add versatility

Mahindra coach Chris Gavina. PBA IMAGES

After nabbing five players in the 2016 PBA Rookie Draft, Mahindra coach Chris Gavina is ecstatic with what he feels is a potentially deep haul.

“I’m extremely happy because we got a lot of dynamic players,” Gavina said Sunday.

Though a lot have regarded this class as a fairly shallow one, that doesn’t deter Gavina from thinking otherwise, seeing the untapped potential the players have during the two-day Combine.

“You’ll never know, we might get some diamonds in the rough. You just got to polish them up,” he said.

What’s certain for Gavina, though, is his top selections Russel Escoto and Joseph Eriobu, whom he praised for their versatility.

“Escoto is a rim protector as well, while Eriobu is an energy guy that we really need,” he said.

“It adds great dimension on our team. The evolution of basketball is going small ball and these guys can stretch the floor, handle the basketball, and give you more versatility than your low post big man. It allows you to be adventurous in the lineup, so we can see more exciting line ups for Mahindra in the coming season.”

However, Gavina isn’t guaranteeing heavy playing time for his top picks right away, saying that just like everyone else in the roster, they have to work hard and earn their minutes in practice.

“With us, if you work hard in practice, you’ll get rewarded for preparing yourself for the game. I’m a big fan of that so as long as they do their part and due diligence, they’ll get plenty of playing time,” he said.

The Floodbuster also picked guards Jan Jamon and Paolo Pontejos and big man Cedrick Ablaza.