INQUIRER/ MARIANNE BERMUDEZ
Christian Standhardinger has thrown his name into the 2017 PBA Rookie Draft pool.
Sources close to the situation confirmed that the 6-foot-7 forward beat the deadline for Fil-foreign applicants on Monday, as his entry boosted the stock for what could be a loaded draft class.
A relative unknown earlier in the year, Standhardinger burst into the scene after coach Chot Reyes enlisted him in the Gilas Pilipinas pool. He made his national team debut in the 2017 Jones Cup.
The Fil-German averaged 16.0 points and 5.7 rebounds in the 2017 Fiba Asia Cup, before being a more well-rounded performer in the 2017 Southeast Asian Games, netting 13.8 markers, 11.0 boards, and 1.4 assists.
Drafting him, though, comes with a risk as the 28-year-old had earlier signed with the Hong Kong Eastern Long Lions for the upcoming 2017-2018 ASEAN Basketball League season.
Still, the mother ballclub who decides to pick Standhardinger can field the big man as early as next season’s Commissioner’s Cup, granting he secures a release from his ABL team.
Also declaring for this year’s draft are Cignal HD standouts Jason Perkins of La Salle, Davon Potts of San Beda, and Andreas Cahilig of EARIST.
Scorer Robbie Herndon, forward Julian Sargent, bruiser Felix Apreku, and sniper Zach Nicholls have also submitted their applications for the draft.