MANILA, 18 January — This year’s Philippine Basketball Association rookie draft went on according to script — saved for just some minor alteration — with the PBA’s newest member, FedEx, making a center and a shooter their first round picks.
Even with the shock last-minute withdrawal of a potential No. 1 pick along with some other marquee players, the annual affair started the day filled with suspense and capped it fittingly with a couple of surprises.
FedEx got what it wanted all along when it picked 6-foot-8 behemoth Yancy de Ocampo first overall — as expected — before Ren-Ren Ritualo practically fell on its lap, giving the team the re-building cornerstones it sought after original pick Romel Adducul failed to make it to the draft.
De Ocampo, a prized slotman from the Philippine Basketball League (PBL), emerged as this year’s top amateur pick among a big battalion of talented aspirants by Federal Express or more popularly known as FedEx, which bought the franchise of Tanduay recently.
His claim to No. 1 position among a long list of aspirants was highly expected after Adducul begged off because of his failure to meet the requirements set by the PBA to become eligible for the draft.
Surprisingly, however, the 6-foot-flat Ritualo was left available at No. 8 owing to the other teams’ decisions to go for big men as FedEx grabbed the opportunity to get away with the most high-profiled small man in the draft pool.
The relegation to eighth by the man widely regarded as the finest shooter to come out of the amateur league this year was just one of the strange twists that caused quite a stir in the otherwise orderly proceedings that saw only eight out of the 48 applicants being left out.
As a whole, the big men — literally — dominated the big day.
Although he had already read it in the papers that he would be made the No. 1 pick overall by FedEx, De Ocampo still felt excited and thrilled when his name was called ahead of the pack in the draft rites held before a packed crowd at the Glorietta at the Ayala Center in Makati.
But it turned out, Bert Lina, chairman and CEO of Airfreight 2100 which owns the franchise of FedEx, appeared more excited, confident he has netted the biggest catch of the day.
"FedEx is proud and honored to pick Yancy de Ocampo as our No. 1 draft (choice)," said Lina — his eyes brimming with pride — of De Ocampo, a portrait of what a big man should be during his amateur days in the PBL.
FedEx was doubly proud when it took Ritualo — who led La Salle and Welcoat Paints to several titles — at No. 8, a choice the new team got when it traded Freddie Abuda and Jeffrey Cariaso to Coca Cola recently. The 22-year old Ritualo garnered the most applause from the public after his name was called by Lina.
FedEx was understandably thrilled to have De Ocampo and Ritualo — who according to pre-draft forecast could be among the top three picks — in its fold knowing that it had cornered the top two amateur players in the land.
"We’re so happy we got the best big man and the best small man in the pool. We’ll likely build our team around them in our first year in the league," said Lito Alvarez, president of Airfreight 2100. "We’ll definitely sign them up to long-term contracts."
He said De Ocampo, the youngest in the draft at 21, would receive a maximum rookie salary of 200,000 pesos in his rookie year while the rate escalates in the next three to five seasons.
Alvarez said they will use De Ocampo and Ritualo as cornerstones of their efforts to rebuild the team.
Incidentally, De Ocampo and Ritualo were teammates at Welcoat Paints in the PBL. They used to be coach Junel Baculi’s 1-2 punch in the multi-titled ballclub.
FedEx also selected Fil-Am John Victorio in the fourth round followed by MBA stalwart Jerome Barbosa and Edrick Ferrer (5th round), Francis Aquino (6th), and Paolo Malonzo (7th).
FedEx officials said they will build up their team from the draft pool and the trade markets.
Despite the absence of blue-chip stars mostly from the Metropolitan Basketball Association (MBA) that reduced the original list of 81 candidates down to 49, the drafting, nonetheless, proved to be one of the busiest seen in years since the rookie draft was first held in 1976 with teams digging all the way to the eighth round.
Among those who either backed out or had simply failed to meet the requirements — aside from Adducul — were marquee prospects Chris Clay, Mike Cortez, Jeff Flowers and Jimmy Alapag.
All but eight of the aspirants were drafted by 10 teams with FedEx getting the most with seven — a move expected from them in line with their bid to stock their team with fresh, talented players to make an immediate impact in their maiden appearance in the league.
As expected, the top three picks were reserved for big men.
Coca Cola, formerly Pop Cola, made Rafi Reavis, a 6-foot-8 flashy center from the MBA — the PBA’s rival league — as the No. 2 pick. It drafted five players from the pool
The 24-year-old Reavis, a Fil-American who suited up for Coppin State University in the United States, played for the defunct San Juan Knights in the MBA.
Six-foot-seven Omanzie Rodriguez, a master shot-blocker and Reavis’ teammate at San Juan Knights, was picked by Sta. Lucia Realty which picked only three players in the pool.
Rodriguez’s inclusion into the Realtors’ fold could solidify the squad’s already imposing front-line combination of Marlou Aquino and Dennis Espino.
The Realtors also pulled Chito Victolero (13th overall) and 6’4 Ateneo forward Brandon Sison (3rd round) from the draft.
Formula Shell, a team badly in need of a gunner, plucked shooting guard Christian Calaguio, a former Letran Knight standout, as the No. 4 pick before choosing 6-foot-9 Fred Canlas as the No. 7 selection to fill the void left by Mark Telan, who has been traded to Talk ‘N Text.
Although Canlas stood out as the tallest among the aspirants at 6-foot-9, the former Welcoat stringer still has to infuse years of experience on his lanky frame.
Shell, which acquired the fourth overall choice from Purefoods via an exchange involving swingman Noy Castillo, preferred a shooter over a big man as the Turbo Chargers snatched the sweet-shooting Calaguio, who also played for the Knights.
