TerraFirma assistant team manager Ireneo "Iby" Bautista believes the Dyip now have a golden chance to beef up their roster further in the 2021 PBA Rookie draft slated this March.
And the Dyip, still searching for PBA relevance, are eyeing top rookie prospects led by athletic Fil-Americans Joshua Munzon and Jamie Malonzo as well as high-scoring forward Alvin Pasaol in what is expected to be a deep PBA draft.
Bautista said the three all carry impressive basketball resumes with them, though he did say they are not discounting another Fil-foreign player in Troy Rike.
Still, the TerraFirma team official spoke highly of Munzon and Pasaol, who both teamed up in recent national 3x3 teams. Both are sure-fire contributors, according to Bautista.
"With Pasaol, you can definitely have a strong presence inside while with Munzon, he can be a sub for CJ (Perez) or Roosevelt (Adams) in case they get tired," Bautista told ESPN5 in Filipino.
The TerraFirma assistant team manager feels any of the three can bring so much youth, speed and explosiveness for the Dyip.
"Definitely you will have a fast and young team that can run most of the time," said Bautista.
Perez and Adams are two of TerraFirma's young talents, though their efforts in the PBA Bubble just weren't enough to lead the Dyip to a playoff berth last season. The Dyip wound up with just one win in the Philippine Cup.
Born to Filipino father Peter Munzon, who hails from Pampanga, the athletic Munzon has an impressive resume heading to the PBA Draft, having played for the Saigon Heat and the Westports Malaysia Dragons in the ASEAN Basketball League the past few years, before suiting up briefly for the IECO Green Warriors that saw action in the 2018 Terrific 12. He then emerged as the top pick of the AMA Online Education Titans in the 2019 PBA D-League from there.
He carved his name in the local basketball scene while playing in the Chooks-to-Go 3x3 league.
Malonzo, 25, made a solid impression as a Green Archer in the UAAP Season 82, registering 15.8 points, 9.9 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 1.2 steals to earn a spot on the Mythical Team.
A product of Portland State, the youthful Malonzo later saw action for Mighty Sports, which ruled the 2020 Dubai International Basketball Tournament.
On the other hand, the 25-year-old Pasaol's name easily is the most recognizable among the current rookie batch following his 49-point effort while playing for the UE Red Warriors in the UAAP 2017 season.
Pasaol teamed up with Munzon, Rike and Santi Santillan in leading the Zamboanga City-Family's Brand Sardines to the President's Cup title last year.
After TerraFirma, the drafting order for the first round is NorthPort, NLEX (via Blackwater), NLEX (own pick), Rain or Shine, Magnolia, Alaska, San Miguel, Meralco, Phoenix, NorthPort (via TNT) and Ginebra.