With the PBA Rookie draft application closing on Wednesday with a new record-high 97 aspirants, Fil-American Joshua Munzon can't hide his excitement as he prepares for his move to the pros.
A potential top pick in the rookie draft set March 14, Munzon believes the time he spent playing in the ASEAN Basketball League, the Thailand Basketball League, along with his stint with the Chooks-to-Go 3x3 in 2019 all helped him a lot in becoming a "better basketball player."
"I'm grateful to potentially be the no. 1 pick but I'm more excited to play in the PBA regardless of where I'm picked," the 26-year-old Munzon told ESPN5. "I had never played 3x3, before playing with Chooks-to-Go, but it was a great overall learning experience that I feel made me a better basketball player."
Known for his ability to score in bunches, the 6-foot-4 Munzon is looking forward to facing newly-minted 2020 PBA Philippine Cup Best Player Stanley Pringle of Barangay Ginebra, Phoenix shooter Matthew Wright and TNT's three-point specialist Roger Pogoy.
"They're probably the hardest guards to defend in the league because all three can score whenever they want," noted the former California State U standout.
But then again, the former Saigon Heat and Westports Malaysia Dragon star is confident that his two-year ABL stint and FIBA 3x3 World Tour experience will come in handy in his rookie season.
"I feel I was able to show I can defend at a high level, score and facilitate when I played in (PBA) D-League, ABL and 3x3," stressed Munzon, who was born to Filipino father Peter Munzon.
"And I feel my overall journey in general prepared me for the PBA. Two years of ABL and TBL then another two years playing 3x3, I have a lot of experience under my belt playing internationally that I think will help me heading into the PBA," he added.
TerraFirma owns the no. 1 pick for this year's Rookie Draft and the PBA franchise hopes to shore up its young and hungry squad with someone who can complement CJ Perez, Rashawn McCarthy and Roosevelt Adams.
"I could definitely see myself playing alongside CJ and Roosevelt and making some noise in the league," he said. "We'll just have to wait and see what happens."