PBA holds first physical rookie draft since 2020
Blackwater Bossing chooses Brandom Ganuelas-Rosser as first pick, coming off his stint with Gilas Pilipinas Men's 3x3 in the 31st Southeast Asian Games in Hanoi where they finished third, to top the 2022 PBA Rookie draft at Robinson’s Place Manila in Ermita.
Rosser was not able to attend the draft physically at 4 p.m as his flight was scheduled to arrive in the evening, however, he was present virtually and was eventually picked first.
For the second pick, Terrafirma tapped Jeremiah Gray whom they have put a lot of trust in as he is still nursing a knee injury, making him unable to offer his talents just yet.
Newcomer Converge FiberXers went after the most towering and athletic players in this year’s Rookie Draft in Jeo Ambohot and Justin Arana third and fourth, respectively, adding them to the mix of eight holdovers from the previous Alaska Aces team.
Gian Mamuyac was then selected by Rain or Shine at fifth, making him the only guard among the big men from the top picks of this year’s draft and then the team went on to select wingman Shaun Ildefonso at No. 10.
NorthPort then tapped San Sebastian ace JM Calma at No. 6 while NLEX went for a high-flying baller in Tyrus Hill at No. 7.
Brgy. Ginebra’s awaited pick was Javi Gomez de Liaño who is fresh from his stint from the Japan B. League, gaining Tim Cone and his team’s interest while De La Salle’s gritty guard Kurt Lojera was drafted by Blackwater at ninth place.
Gilas Pilipinas head coach, Chot Reyes, tapped four rookies after the draft in Justin Arana, Gian Mamuyac, Javi Gomez de Liaño, and Shaun Ildefonso to render their service to the national team as part of the training pool.
Tags: #PBA, #GilasPilipinas, #basketball, #sports