FILE – Alvin Pasaol was a force to reckon with during his UAAP days as the main man of the UE Red Warriors. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines — A slew of big men dominated the first round of the 2021 PBA Rookie Draft with six of the picks outside of the top three all playing the traditional post-up position.
It was a point guard, however, that headlined the remainder of the round with TNT selecting Mikey Williams as the fourth overall pick.
Williams, who stands at 6-foot-1, had already been expected to go to the Tropang Giga and that prediction ultimately became a reality with the Cal State Fullerton product learning from the likes of veteran star Jayson Castro.
The first round, which had Joshua Munzon (Terrafirma), Jamie Malonzo (NorthPort) and Calvin Oftana (NLEX) as the top three picks, offered little surprise except for Alvin Pasaol slipping to Meralco at No. 9.
Pasaol, one of the best scorers in the UAAP during his time with the University of the East, could end up as one of the biggest steals in the draft.
Power forward Santi Santillan, selected fifth overall, is expected to beef up Rain or Shine’s already loaded frontcourt as he joins Beau Belga, Jewel Ponferada, Norbert Torres, and Prince Rivero.
The 6-foot-5 Santillan was a one-time UAAP champion and is also a Philippine international representing the country in the Fiba 3×3 World Tours.
A trio of centers was selected from the sixth to eighth spots with Ben Adamos, Larry Muyang, and James Laput going to Alaska, Phoenix, and Terrafirma, respectively.
Pasaol’s fellow 3×3 star Troy Rike was also drafted in the first round as the 11th overall pick by the Batang Pier.
Ex-Adamson star Jerrick Ahanmisi will join Magnolia’s vaunted backcourt as the 10th overall pick and he’s expected to provide floor spacing for Paul Lee, Mark Barroca, and Jio Jalalon.
Center Ken Holmqvist, who stands at 6-foot-8, was the last pick of the first round going to Barangay Ginebra.
While big men dominated the first round, wingmen and guards prominently filled up the 12 selections in the second round with Brian Enriquez going to the Gin Kings as the 13th overall pick.
The 6-foot-3 forward withdrew his commitment to University of the East and instead jumped to the pro leagues with collegiate play halted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Blackwater then, selected back-to-back in the second round, taking forwards Rey Mark Acuña and Joshua Torralba.
Filipino-Canadian wing Taylor Browne was chosen by Alaska as the fourth pick in the second round.
An intriguing prospect, Browne played for University of British Columbia in the 2019 Jones Cup where his squad played against Mighty Sports.
Franky Johnson, an MVP in the Chooks to Go Pilipinas 3×3, was the fifth pick in the second round and is expected to have a solid impact when he joins Rain or Shine.
Phoenix had the sixth and seventh picks in the second round with the 2020 Philippine Cup surprise team taking athletic guard Nicholas Demusis and scorer Aljun Melecio, a name that surprisingly dropped this low in the draft.
A UAAP champion, Melecio was a spitfire shooter for De La Salle and already came into his own early in his collegiate career when he won Rookie of the Year in 2016.
NLEX added depth in its wing positions when it chose University of the Philippines’ Dave Murrell for the eighth pick of the second round while point guard Alec Stockton of Far Eastern University went to Alaska as the ninth pick in the round.
Another team that had consecutive selections in the second round was Rain or Shine with the Elasto Painters opting to take guards Anton Asistio and 2015 UAAP Rookie of the Year Andrei Caracut.
UE product Mark Olayon was the second round’s final pick as he went to NorthPort.
The draft order is as follows:
Gilas Draft
1st: Jordan Heading (Terrafirma)
2nd: William Navarro (NorthPort)
3rd: Tzaddy Rangel (NLEX)
4th: Jaydee Tungcab (TNT)
1st round
1st: Joshua Munzon (Terrafirma)
2nd: Jamie Malonzo (NorthPort)
3rd: Calvin Oftana (NLEX)
4th: Mikey Williams (TNT)
5th: Santi Santillan (Rain or Shine)
6th: Ben Adamos (Alaska)
7th: Larry Muyang (Phoenix)
8th: James Laput (Terrafirma)
9th: Alvin Pasaol (Meralco)
10th: Jerrick Ahanmisi (Magnolia)
11th: Troy Rike (NorthPort)
12th: Ken Holmqvist (Ginebra)
2nd round
1st: Brian Enriquez (Ginebra)
2nd: Rey Mark Acuno (Blackwater)
3rd: Joshua Torralba (Blackwater)
4th: Taylor Browne (Alaska)
5th: Franky Johnson (Rain or Shine)
6th: Nicholas Demusis (Phoenix)
7th: Aljun Melecio (Phoenix)
8th: David Murrell (NLEX)
9th: Alec Stockton (Alaska)
10th: Anton Asistio (Rain or Shine)
11th: Andrei Caracut (Rain or Shine)
12th: Mark Olayon (NorthPort)
3rd round
1st: Dhon Reverente (Terrafirma)
2nd: Loren Brill (NorthPort)
3rd: Andre Paras (Blackwater)
4th: Antonio Bonsubre (NLEX)
5th: Kenneth Mocon (Rain or Shine)
6th: Ronnie De Leon (Magnolia)
7th: RK Ilagan (Alaska)
8th: Allen Enriquez (San Miguel)
9th: John Yasa (Meralco)
10th: Reymar Caduyac (Phoenix)
11th: Michael Simmonds (TNT)
12th: *Ginebra passed
4th round
1st: Michael Javelosa (Terrafirma)
2nd: Marvin Moraga (NorthPort)
3rd: Jun Manzo (Blackwater)
4th: Jose Presbitero (NLEX)
5th: RJ Argamino (Rain or Shine)
6th: Andrew Estrella (Magnolia)
7th: *Alaska passed
8th: Mohammad Salim (San Miguel)
9th: Luis Brill (Meralco)
10th: Max Hentschel (Phoenix)
11th: Joel Lee Yu (TNT)
12th: *Ginebra passed
5th round
1st: Immanuel Custodio (Terrafirma)
2nd: Carl Bryan Ravanes (NorthPort)
3rd: Kim Bayquin (Blackwater)
4th: Joseph Alcantara (NLEX)
5th: Philip Manalang (Rain or Shine)
6th: *Magnolia passed
7th: *Alaska passed
8th: Gregory Flor (San Miguel)
9th: *Meralco passed
10th: Jerie Pinoy (Phoenix)
11th: MJ Gozum (TNT)
12th: *Ginebra passed
6th round
1st: Terrence Tumalip (Terrafirma)
2nd: Seraj Elmejerab (NorthPort)
3rd: Jason Delfinado (Blackwater)
4th: Alberto Torres (NLEX)
5th: *Rain or Shine passed
6th: *Magnolia passed
7th: *Alaska passed
8th: Jeffrey Manday (San Miguel)
9th: *Meralco passed
10th: *Phoenix passed
11th: *TNT passed
12th: *Ginebra passed
7th round
1st: *Terrafirma passed
2nd: Jonico Rosales (NorthPort)
3rd: *Blackwater passed
4th: *NLEX passed
5th: *Rain or Shine passed
6th: *Magnolia passed
7th: *Alaska passed
8th: Luis Antonio Abaca
9th: *Meralco passed
10th: *Phoenix passed
11th: *TNT passed
12th: *Ginebra passed
8th round
1st: *Terrafirma passed
2nd: Jed Mendoza (NorthPort)
3rd: *Blackwater passed
4th: *NLEX passed
5th: *Rain or Shine passed
6th: *Magnolia passed
7th: *Alaska passed
8th: *San Miguel passed
9th: *Meralco passed
10th: *Phoenix passed
11th: *TNT passed
12th: *Ginebra passed