FILE – A general view of the record PVL crowd during Game 2 of the Finals between Creamline and Choco Mucho on Saturday at Araneta Coliseum.–PVL PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines—The Premier Volleyball League (PVL) will hold its first-ever Rookie Draft starting next season in 2024 with the draft order based on the rankings of the combined recently-concluded second All-Filipino Conference and the first tournament next year.
PVL president Ricky Palou bared to INQUIRER.net that the league is finally holding its rookie draft after the clubs’ recruitment spree of UAAP stars in the previous season.
“We will do that in June or July,” Palou said. “All the teams agreed with the drafting. We will combine the [records] of the just concluded All-FIlipino and the first conference next year.
Palou said that the lowest-ranking teams will get the top picks but league organizers are also looking at the possibility of having a lottery for the order of picks.
The embattled Gerflor Defenders, who will sport a new name next year under a new owner, placed last in the second All-Filipino Conference after a winless campaign. Newcomer Galleries Tower finished 11th with only a win out of 11 games, followed by No.1 0 Farm Fresh (2-9) and No.9 Nxled (4-7). F2 Logistics also ended up with a 4-7 record but the team announced its disbandment.
PLDT missed the top four with a 7-4 finish in fifth place, followed by Petro Gazz (6-5), and Akari (5-6) in the 12-team tournament, which Creamline swept after outlasting sister team Choco Mucho in the finals. Cignal earned its fourth bronze in the PVL after beating Chery Tiggo in the battle of third series.
Last season, several college stars decided to forgo their remaining playing years and turned pro with Akari, which acquired Faith Nisperos, Fifi Sharma, and Justine Jazareño.
Chery Tiggo landed Eya Laure, Cess Robles, Imee Hernandez, Jennifer Nierva, and Joyme Cagande, Cignal tapping Vanie Gandler while Farm Fresh joined the league with Adamson core players Trisha Tubu, Kate Santiago, and Louie Romero, and La Salle stars Jolina Dela Cruz and Mars Alba took their acts to the disbanded F2 Logistics.
Palou hopes the rookie draft will continue the parity between the teams as the PVL seeks to reach greater heights.
The new PVL season kicks off on February 17 next year, highlighted by the rookie draft after the first conference.
Palou also said that they are still discussing if the Reinforced Conference will be their season-opening tournament for 2024 or stage another All-Filipino depending on the decision of their meeting with the team managers.
“We met with the team managers yesterday and we gave them the option because some [teams] want All-Filipino and others want to play with imports. We will meet again next week to decide if it’s a Reinforced or All-Filipino [Conference],” he said.
The PVL wasn’t able to stage a Reinforced Conference after the Philippine National Volleyball Federation’s recommendation to refrain “from contracting foreign quest players requiring to undergo the International Transfer Certificate procedure for 2023” and follow the National Team period from May 16 to October 15.
Palou understands the concerns of other teams that recruiting an import in the first quarter of the year will be challenging as most of the international players are under contract with the top global leagues.
“The problem with the Reinforced [as the first conference] is it will be hard to tap imports because most of the imports are playing [in other leagues]. There are other available imports but we can’t tell their caliber,” said Palou in Filipino.