2007 PBA Rookie Draft

First Round

1. Joe Devance - Welcoat
2. Samigue Eman - San Miguel
3. Ryan Reyes - Sta Lucia
4. JC Intal - Air21
5. Doug Kramer - Air21
6. Ken Bono - Alaska
7. JR Quiñahan - Alaska
8. Yousif Aljamal - Air21
9. Jonas Villanueva - San Miguel
10. Macky Escalona - Ginebra

Second Round

1. Ronjay Buenafe - Coke
2. Ryan Araña - Welcoat
3. Melvin Mamaclay - Sta Lucia
4. Marvin Cruz - Air21
5. Jojo Duncil - Red Bull
6. Ardy Larong - Alaska
7. PASSED - Red Bull
8. PASSED - Talk'N'Text
9. PASSED - Red Bull
10. RJ Masbang - Air21

Well, based on the list I made in the Mock Draft section, I was not able to predict how the draft went. I really thought that Samigue Eman would be picked ahead of Joe Devance, but I guess I did not anticipate the desire of Welcoat to get the best player instead of what the team needs. After I missed predicting the first two picks, the biggest deviation came in number 3. I would have even bet that Ken Bono would be a shoo-in for SLR, instead Ryan Reyes was chosen. Does this mean more extended minutes for the aging Marlou Aquino or the team will be putting more confidence in Mark Isip this time?

Another thing worthy to note last Sunday is that several teams “passed” in the second round. I really thought there were still a lot of good players who were not picked in the two-round draft, among them were Khiel Misa, Daryl Pepito, Joel Solis, Francis Barcellano, Noy Javier and Mark Moreño. Fortunately, they can still enter the league through the free agency.

For a complete analysis on how all the teams performed in the Draft and how their picks will make an impact on their respective teams, just read my article in a separate section on this blog.