Sta. Lucia Signs Draft Picks, Air21 to Follow

Realtors, Express set to play overseas
Tuesday, 21 August 2007

Ryan Reyes is now a certified pro as the Cal State Fullerton alum signed a three-year pact worth P8.5 million with Sta. Lucia Realty, only two days after being picked No. 3 overall in the 2007 PBA Rookie Draft Sunday.

Melvin Mamaclay became the second draftee from Batch 2007 of the annual Draft to get a contract as he also signed a pact with the Realtors Tuesday.

Reyes is to get the maximum pay allowed for a PBA newcomer in the next three years. He will receive P1.8 million this season, P2.7 next campaign and P4.05 in the 2009-2010 PBA wars.

Top pick Joe Devance and No. 2 choice Samigue Eman are likely to get the same package from Welcoat and San Miguel Beer, respectively.

Set to play in the 2007 Sultan Cup in Brunei starting Saturday, Sta. Lucia completed its roster by acquiring free agent Philip Butel.

The Realtors compete in the Brunei joust with former Coca-Cola import Anthony Johnson as reinforcement.

Over at Air21, Board representative and team manager Lito Alvarez said JC Intal, Ken Bono and Marvin Cruz will all be signed to three-year deals.

"Intal and Bono didn’t land in the top three but both are quality players, they’re likely to get no less than P7 million each (in three seasons)," said Alvarez.

The Air21 Express started practicing Tuesday as they’re also to play overseas, competing in an international inter-club tourney in Guandong, China.

"I’m happy with what we got in the Draft. I didn’t expect to still get JC Intal at No. 4," said Alvarez of the high-flying former Ateneo star.

"In Kramer, we’ve gotten a player who will do the job in the paint. Sobra-sobra na kami sa tirador sa labas," said Alvarez of the 6-foot-4 bruiser who is also a former Ateneo Blue Eagle. (Source: PBA Site

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2007 PBA Draft Analysis

I wanted to do an exclusive analysis on how the Sta. Lucia Realty did in PBA Draft held last 19 August 2007 at the Market! Market! Activity Center in Taguig, but I was also a little bit intrigued on how the other teams fared as well. Hence, I decided to analyze all teams instead. I was hoping that through this, we can all judge how SLR will fare against them at the All-Filipino Conference, which will officially start on October 2007.

1. Welcoat

What can be said about their pick except that they have chosen the most talented big man in the draft. Joe Devance would someday become the team’s franchise player and with the right players around him such as JR Reyes and Nic Belasco (acquired from Alaska in exchange for Junjun Cabatu), there is a good chance that they will snare a championship trophy anytime soon. The second pick of Welcoat was Ryan Araña. I don’t have any details about this player except that I heard he a solid defensive/hustling/character guy who could turn out to be a gem of player. I would tend to think that Welcoat is grroming Araña to be the heir of Jojo Tangkay.

2. San Miguel Beer

San Miguel Beer picked the 6-8 Samigue Eman after they failed to acquire Joe Devance. With the possibility of Dorian Peña missing the first six months of the Conference, SMB might be looking for someone to shore-up their frontline. However, many pundits believe that the team is better off picking the exciting point guard Ryan Reyes instead since Olsen Racela’s playing days could be numbered and LA Tenorio is a little too inconsistent at the point. Could this be another Bowie over Jordan fiasco? Well, time will tell, but after picking Paolo Hubalde in the 2005 Draft over the likes of Cesar Catli, Larry Fonacier and Mark Macapagal, I don’t think we should be surprised with any of the SMBs pick from now on.

Good thing for SMB, they were able to snatch Jonas Villanueva at number 9. Villanueva is a big point guard who can create some mismatches.

3. Sta. Lucia Realty

Given the chance to pick a big man to replace the aging Marlou Aquino at number 3, Sta. Lucia Realty surprised everyone when they chose point guard Ryan Reyes. Arguably one of the top 2 talented players in the Draft, the 23-year-old Reyes led the Super Sealers in scoring with 11.4 points average, while shooting 33.3 percent from three-point range and 82 percent from the free throw line. A few raised their eyebrows with this pick because it could mean more extended playing time for Aquino or maybe a time for Mark Isip to finally emerged from the shadows and show his true worth. However, if SLR skips Reyes and picks either Bono or Quiñahan, they may not be able to get another chance to acquire a quality point guard in the mold of Reyes. They may have to contend with Marvin Cruz, Jonas Villanueva or Macky Escalona, which for me is not really an upgrade from Dennis Miranda.

In the Second Round, SLR picked Melvin Mamaclay. Admittedly, I know next to nothing about this player except that he was one of those who staged a walkout of Adamson to protest the policy of UAAP of preventing sophomore players from applying in the Philippine Basketball League (PBL). Maybe they see a Mamaclay in the mold of Nonoy Falcasantos, who is definitely one of the favorites of SLR coaches, from Nat Canson to Adonis Tierra, for his penchant to turn virtual garbage into points under the basket. However, I won’t be surprised if he is not signed up.


4. Air21

Air 21 has three pick in the first round and they used it to collar JC Intal (4), Doug Kramer (5) and Yousif Aljamal (8). I don’t doubt the wisdom of picking Intal even if he might only duplicate what Niño Cañaleta. Intal got talent and it would be a big mistake if they try to pass him up. However, picking Kramer over Ken Bono (6) seems a little beyond me. Unlike Bono, Kramer is not a legitimate center. He may be able to defend and scramble for loose balls more aggressively than Bono, but definitely he lacks the scoring ability of the latter. More importantly, with the loss of Mark Telan (traded to Coke) and Mark Andaya (traded to Red Bull), Air21 needs somebody down low to complement the scoring of Gar David and Arwind Santos.

When Ai3 21 picked Yousif Aljamal it was intended for Talk N Text in an agreement forged before the draft. They never intended to include Aljamal in the line-up since they are already heavy in the power forward position with the acquisition of Kramer.

Marvin Cruz was picked at number 14 and could probably be groomed to be the solid back-up of Wynne Arboleda. Some would consider him a great steal. However, after talking to some experts and team GMs, I think his size (5’8”) and speed is working against him in this draft. He may posed as a potential target for mismatches and the fast speed he has shown in the amateurs would make his team prone to big number of errors.

As for RJ Masbang, I doubt that this UE forward will have a chance to play in the PBA.

5. Alaska

Aside from the Stevenson Solomon pick way back, I haven’t seen Alaska waste their pick on unreliable players. By picking Ken Bono (6) and JR Quiñahan (7), the team only made sure that they have solidified their front court and to fill the gap made with the departure of the aging Nic Belasco. It is expected that Coach Tim Cone will make use of the great passing skills of Bono in his Triangle Offense system and improve the work ethics and conditioning of Quiñahan. With regards to Ardy Larong (16), I don’t think he has a chance of being signed-up because of the overload of Alaska players already comfortable in the shaded area. In general and with the vast improvement of Sonny Thoss, Alaska just secured the next 5 years of this franchise with the two picks in this draft.

6. Ginebra

At number 10, Ginebra chose Ateneo point guard Macky Escalona. It is expected that Escalona will be the understudy of both Johnny Abarrientos and Jayjay Helterbrand. However, this choice has both attracted some raised eyebrows and at the same time sighs of relief. It was expected that Ginebra would choose Marvin Cruz instead of Escalona because the former certainly overplayed the latter in their one-on-one match-up at the amateurs. At the same time, many were relived that Coach Jong Uichico skipped unknown Derrick Hubalde after picking a virtual disappointment for San Miguel Beer in Paolo Hubalde two years ago. One thing is certain though, Escalona will have a hard time to break in the Ginebra lineup.

7. Coca-Cola

With most of the high picks going to the other teams, Coca-Cola did what is the next best thing to them – pick the best player still available in the draft. Ronjay Buenafe was picked at number 11, but he is considered as one of the productive guards in the draft. The problem is, Buenafe would have to share playing time with John Arigo, Kenneth Duremdes, Will Antonio, and even Chester Tolomia. Unless, Coach Binky Favis can market Will Antonio or even Joseph Yeo, I don’t expect Buenafe to make an immediate impact in this team.

8. Redbull

With the loss of Larry Fonacier to SMB, Redbull picked the 2006 UAAP Finals MVP, Jojo Duncil, at number 15. It was rumored that Alaska was also interested in acquiring his services if they were allowed one more pick, but Redbull was able to trade with Purefoods to get the 15th pick. He could probably be one of the steals in this draft. Duncil may still be raw in the pro ranks but expect him to develop in the Redbull Barako system just like what happened to co-UST alumni Cyrus Baguio.

9. Talk N Text

After acquiring Yousif Aljamal from Air21 and owing t the fact that they have an intact line-up, there is no reason for Talk N text to consider any other applicants with their 18th pick. Even Aljamal who was picked at number 8 is not even assured of getting a slot at this team.

10. Purefoods

Well, they already acquired Marc Pingris for their first round pick this year, but they could have used their other pick last year (Boyet Bautista) to get a first round player who could probably be Quinahan or Bono.

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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.

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Devance is No. 1 Pick

“Popular, right & logical choice” – Austria
Monday, 20 August 2007

Welcoat is a young team in a hurry.

After a rather disappointing maiden season, the Dragons went for the present over the future as they selected Joe Devance No. 1 pick overall in the 2007 PBA Rookie Draft at the jampacked Market! Market! Activity Center in Taguig Sunday.

The guessing game over who would be this year’s top pick reached fever-pitch the past week as Welcoat seemed torn between the versatile Devance and Samigue Eman, the tallest among the 44 rookie hopefuls whom many see more as a project.

"After a long, thorough discussion and deliberation, we decided to go for the more complete package who can play both ends of the court. We think it's the popular, right and logical choice," said coach Leo Austria after his team bestowed top pick honors on Devance.

The soft-spoken Welcoat chief tactician believes he has a player in Devance who can immediately help turn the Dragons fortunes around in their second season in Asia’s first play-for-pay cage loop.

Expectations are high that Devance would deliver and co-team owners Terry Que and Raymund Yu readily declared they would make things easy for the Fil-Am behemoth, offering him the maximum pay in his first three years in the league, or no less than P7 million.

"For sure, we will improve with the addition of Devance. We'll be more competitive than last season pero malabo pa rin ang championship," said Austria.

Austria hinted picking Devance in the first round and Ryan Arana in the second round was the start of a rebuilding the team will undertake. He said they may close trade deals in the coming days.

Devance, a former University of Texas at El Paso mainstay, said he's happy to finally make it to the local pro league and he's looking forward to helping Welcoat realize its dreams.

"It's not about Joe Devance, it's about Welcoat. I'm not worried about my individual performance. I'm thinking of the team," said Devance, accompanied in the draft exercise by his Filipina mother Mae Sanz Devance, a native of Escalante, Negros Occidental.

Devance, another Fil-Am chosen No. 1 in the Draft joining the ranks of Andy Seigle, Jay Washington and Kelly Williams, actually barely made it to the Draft pool with his appeal for extension in submitting required documents accommodated by the league board.

San Miguel settled for Eman at No. 2 and got Jonas Villanueva at No. 9. Sta. Lucia selected Ryan Reyes at No. 3, Air21 picked JC Intal, Doug Kramer and Yousif Aljamal at Nos. 4, 5 and 8, Alaska got Ken Bono and JR Quinahan at Nos. 6 and 7, and Barangay Ginebra chose Macky Escalona at No. 10.

In the second round, Ronjay Buenafe went to Coca-Cola, Arana to Welcoat, Melvin Mamaclay to Sta. Lucia, Marvin Cruz and JR Masbang to Air21, Jojo Duncil to Red Bull and Ardy Larong to Alaska.

Red Bull waived two other draft rights in the second round and Talk N Text one. Thus, only 17 out of 44 players were picked in the 2007 Rookie Draft sponsored by Purefoods Tender Juicy Hotdogs and backed by Accel and Goldilocks.

Players not picked automatically became unrestricted free agents. They can try out with any team.

Eman said joining the Beermen is a dream come true for him and his father Fernando who used to work with San Miguel in Davao.

"My name Samigue is derived from San Miguel. I'm sure my father is so happy and proud right now," said Eman, the tallest among the hopefuls at 6-foot-9.

Sta. Lucia, meanwhile, has gotten another blue-chip guard in Reyes after dealing Alex Cabagnot to Coca-Cola last campaign.

Sta. Lucia governor Buddy Encarnado said they're also ready to offer Reyes the maximum package for the next three years.

"Before the draft I was so nervous and I didn't know what to expect. Now, I'm excited to join my new team and hoping to contribute," said Reyes, a Cal State Fullerton product who used to play with Mike Holper, Chris Pacana and Washington in LA. Source: PBA Site

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Welcoat In No Hurry

Eman, Bono, Devance, Intal head rich rookie talent pool
Tuesday, 24 July 2007

IT'S a major dilemma Welcoat Paints coach Leo Austria doesn't mind facing time and time again.

With the Paint Masters earning the right to select first in the coming 2007 PBA Rookie Draft, on the hands of Austria belongs the envious task of choosing the No. 1 overall pick in a 47-man field rich in talent and potential.

Fil-Am big man Joe Devance and Ateneo Blue Eagles stalwart John Christopher Intal are those athletic types currently in the Draft list. Both are coming off spectacular seasons in the amateurs.

Intal, the reed-thin, slam-dunking forward, was a key player of the Harbour Centre team that swept Cebuana Lhuillier in the PBL Unity Cup Finals and also the main man of the ill-fated Blue Eagles squad that lost a deciding Game 3 to the University of Santo Tomas Tigers for last year's UAAP men's basketball championship.

The application of Devance however remains conditional pending his submission of a confirmation from the Department of Justice until the end of the month.

The 6-foot-5 center was adjudged the 2006 PBL Unity Cup MVP after leading Toyota Balintawak to a runner up finish behind Harbour Centre. Upon his return to the team last conference, the Road Kings made it all the way to the semifinals.

A slew of big men are also making themselves available for this year's Rookie Draft, including bullstrong University of the Visayas power forward JR Quinahan of Burger King, Doug Kramer of Ateneo and San Beda's Yousif Aljamal.

Others in the mix include controversial Santo Tomas guard Jojo Duncil, guard Ryan Reyes of Henkel Sista, Toyota Balintawak premiere playmaker, Dazz guard Reed Juntilla, Cebuana Lhuillier's Macky Escalona, Ryan Arana of Harbour Centre, University of the East's Rolly Masbang, Frederick Hubalde of Santo Tomas, St. Benilde's Rolly Menor and former Adamson Falcon Melvin Mamaclay.

One who easily catches attention by way of his resume is guard Daryl Pepito, a 5-foot-10 playmaker born in Quezon City but is based in Australia where he plays for St. Edwards College and saw action in the Australian Basketball League.

Last year Sta. Lucia Realty tabbed Fil-Am forward Kelly Williams as the top overall pick. Source: PBA Site

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2007 PBA Mock Draft (1st Round)

What I will do in section is try to make a projection on how the draft will go using the information and data I gathered from various sources. Please take note that I am still including Joe Devance in my list since there is still no official word yet as of this writing if he was taken off the list. Once Joe Devance is not cleared, I will to make the necessary changes in this mock draft.

First Round

1 - Welcoat: Samigue Eman. The team needs a big man to lessen the pressure on J.R. Reyes. What better way to address that problem by picking a 6-10 athletic talent named Samigue Eman. He was first thrust into the limelight when he played varsity ball for the University of Mindanao Wildcats 5 years ago. After that, his sheer size, athleticism and coordination skills just continue to improve. He may not make a big impact initially, but he has lots of potential to secure the future with the team.

2 - San Miguel: Joe Devance – Rumors that suggest JC Intal will be taken by San Miguel still persists, but I don’t think the team needs another forward that will only duplicate the roles of Dondon Hontiversos, Lordy Tugade, Larry Fonacier and Chris Calaguio. What they need is to secure their future frontline by picking the best power forwards available in the draft, Joe Devance. Joe Devance can play all frontcourt spots, has size and versatility. However, with the way the team picks players from the draft (remember Hubalde?) anything can still come up in the last minute and either Devance or Intal may not be considered at all.

3 - Sta. Lucia: Ken Bono – With Samigue Eman and Joe Devance possibly gone at this point, the next big man available for Sta. Lucia is Ken Bono. There is no question that the team needs a reliable big man to complement Kelly Williams, relieve Dennis Espino at the post and, possibly, take over the slot from the aging Marlou Aquino. This is also the best time for a transition period from Aqunio to Bono with the former teaching the rookie the essence of defense. Ken Bono already has the scoring potential and his touch can extend up to the three-point area, a great fit for a team fond of shooting those threes.

4 - Coca Cola: JR Quiñahan – Like the first three teams, the Coca-Cola Tigers also need size to help out Ali Peek in the middle. They have been hurting in that position after the one-sided trade that sent Billy Mamaril and Rafi Reavis to former sister-team, Ginebra. With the new management and out of the San Miguel family, it is expected that the team will not compromise their chances anymore by picking JR Quiñahan. Quiñahan can block shots (he led the PBL in that category the past conference) and is a good low-post rebounder because of his notable wingspan.

5 - Air21: JC Intal – If JC Intal is still available at this point, it would be illogical for the Express not to pick him. Pair him up with Niño Canaleta and Arwind Santos and you will have a team that is deep in athleticism and speed. JC Intal would also complement the perimeter shooting and slashing of Gary David. Once Intal is in their fold, the Express may now look at signing some veterans to help guide the youngsters and instill discipline in their defense.

6 - Alaska: Ryan Reyes – Mike Cortez needs a back-up. Alaska needs assurance that they can rely on somebody if Cortez gets injured. What a better way to address these concerns than picking Ryan Reyes, a new generation Fil-Am guard to invade the PBA. There are other guards who can fill the reliever slot, such as Jonas Villanueva and Marvin Cruz, but Alaska history of draft picks tends to favor Fil-Ams over homegrown talents. Hence, it is not difficult who will be pick fist among the available point guards.

7 - Alaska: Doug Kramer – With their point-guard position secured, this is a chance to shore up their frontline with a role player. Doug Kramer fits this mold and has similar playing style with another Alaska Aces, Reynel Hugnatan. Tim Cone’s emphasis on team defense and triangle offense matched Kramer’s penchant for collaring the loose balls (led the PBL in that category the past conference) and frontcourt defending.

8 - Air21: Jonas Villanueva – At this point, they may be looking for a reliable point guard who can be a reliever of Wynee Arboleda and provide instant stability and scoring from the bench. Aside from Ryan Reyes, a promising point guard in this draft that would fit nicely in the Express is Jonas Villanueva. Jonas Villanueva would be a good pick for the Express because of his size, outside shooting and playmaking ability. His great peripheral vision would complement the untiring positioning of Gary David in the wings and Arwind Santos in the post.

9 - Coca-Cola: Yousif Aljamal or Joel Solis – Looking for more muscles down low, the Tigers would be better off picking either Yousif Aljamal or Joel Solis. Yousif Aljamal started as a power-forward in college, but could shift to the small forward in the pros. He has a solid perimeter shooting skills, but his defense might be a suspect when playing against bigger and stronger opponents. Joel Solis, on the other hand, is a very athletic player with great leaping ability. He has the size and good potential in the future, but will most likely start as a role player.

10 - Red Bull: Ronjay Buenafe or Jeff Chan – With Lordy Tugade and Larry Fonacier gone, the Barakos need a high-scoring swingman who can heat up instantly and play both ends of the court. Ronjay Buenafe fits this description to a tee and has a feisty attitude in defense despite the 6’1” frame, but so does Jeff Chan plus he has the height at 6’3”. Either choice would make the Barakos forget about either Tugade or Fonacier.

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