The PBA's Season 47 Rookie Draft gets underway on Sunday, May 15, at the Robinsons Place Manila.
The Blackwater Bossing, Terrafirma Dyip and newcomer Converge FiberXers hold the top three picks in what is touted to be a rather shallow draft.
- Did we get it right? ESPN's PBA Season 47 Mock Draft
Follow this page for the latest pick-by-pick updates.
Just before the draft started, Gilas Pilipinas coach Chot Reyes announced that Gian Mamuyac, Justin Arana, Shaun Ildefonso, Javi Gomez de Liaño are this year's Gilas picks. This means these four players, even if they get drafted, can be picked by Reyes for national team duty at any time.
First Round
1. Blackwater Bossing -- Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser
No surprises here. Ganuelas-Rosser is the best player left in this draft class. Coach Ariel Vanguardia had said he was choosing among Ganuelas-Rosser, Sedrick Barefield and Justine Baltazar, so after the two others withdrew, the choice was clear.
2. Terrafirma Dyip -- Jeremiah Gray
A mild surprise here. Gray is still recovering from a ACL injury and won't be able to help the Dyip until later in the season. He'll be worth the wait, though. His length and athleticism make him an asset on both ends of the court.
3. Converge FiberXers -- Jeo Ambohot
Ambohot skipped the Rookie Combine to concentrate on his NCAA stint with Letran. A 6-7 big man, Ambohot fills a need for the FIber Xers, who had said earlier that they were looking for a big man in the draft. Ambohot might need to bulk up a bit, though. He's only listed at 190 pounds.
4. Converge FiberXers (from Phoenix) -- Justin Arana
Converge goes with back-to-back NCAA big men in a bit of a surprise considering they still have Ben Adamos. Arana is PBA-ready and impressed a lot of scouts at the Combine with his court smarts and discipline in the paint.
5. Rain or Shine Elasto Painters -- Gian Mamuyac
The first guard is drafted. The Elasto Painters get a real gem of a player in Gian Mamuyac, who's a deadshot from the outside. He's also got championship pedigree and has shown he can play well within a system. At Saturday night's thanksgiving mass in Ateneo, Tab Baldwin paid 'Mamu' the ultimate compliment by calling him one of the best players he's ever coached. That's saying a lot.
6. NorthPort Batang Pier -- JM Calma
Bravo Baste! Calma is another talented NCAA big who put up double-double averages in this most recent NCAA season. He should fill a slot in the NorthPort frontline rotation which won't have Greg Slaughter for the time-being.
7. NLEX Road Warriors -- Tyrus Hill
Another surprise. Hill was a no-show in the Combine and didn't exactly put up good numbers in his last UAAP season with DLSU. But he's still a 6-5 player who can run the floor and beef up the Road Warriors' wing rotation.
8. Barangay Ginebra -- Javi Gomez de Liaño
De Liaño is a tall wing who will add some shooting to the Kings' offense and is fresh off a stint in the Japan B.League. With Jeff Chan and Jared Dillinger not getting any younger, Ginebra can use some fresh legs at the two and three spots.
9. Blackwater Bossing (from TNT via SMB) -- Kurt Lojera
Lojera caught the attention of some scouts at the Combine with the offensive arsenal he displayed in the scrimmages. He also shot the ball well for DLSU in UAAP Season 84. He should help the Bossing improve their outside shooting.
10. Rain or Shine Elasto Painters (from Meralco) -- Shaun Ildefonso
How old do you feel? Danny I.'s son is now in the PBA. Shaun plays a different position from his dad and should be a good addition to the Elasto Painters' wing rotation. He might need to improve his 3-point shooting, though, but he has the IQ to make plays on both sides of the court.
11. Blackwater Bossing (from TNT) -- Mark Dyke
Dyke might be undersized in the pros as a 6-3 post player, although he's built like a tank. He'll be fighting for minutes with Andre Paras, Richard Escoto and Barkley Ebona in the Bossing's frontline rotation.
12. Magnolia Chicken Timplados Hotshots -- Keith Zaldivar
Another mild surprise as Zaldivar sort of flew under the radar during the Combine. The Hotshots add Zaldivar to an already crowded frontline rotation but at least he'll learn the ropes from veterans like Calvin Abueva and Ian Sangalang.
Second Round
1. Blackwater Bossing -- Ato Ular
2. Phoenix Super LPG (from Terrafirma) -- Tyler Tio
3. Converge Fiber Xers -- Kameron Vales
4. Phoenix Super LPG -- Chris Lalata
5. Rain or Shine Elasto Painters -- Jhonard Clarito
6. Rain or Shine Elasto Painters (from TNT via NorthPort) -- RJ Ramirez
7. Phoenix Super LPG (from NLEX) -- Encho Serrano
8. Barangay Ginebra Kings -- Jayson David
9. NLEX Road Warriors (from Blackwater via SMB) -- Chester Saldua
10. Meralco Bolts -- Christian Fajarito
11. Phoenix Super LPG (from NorthPort via TNT) -- Enzo Joson
12. Magnolia Chicken Timplados Hotshots -- Carlo De Chavez
2nd round wrap-up: Phoenix got some pretty good selections in this round. The Fuel Masters might have gotten the steal of the draft in Chris Lalata, an athletic big who could step up right away. They were also lucky to get Tyler Tio. Encho Serrano had the biggest drop, falling all the way down to 17th overall. Enzo Joson is a steady point guard. Ginebra picks its own 3x3 player Jayson David. Rain or Shine got a couple of guards who might need to fight it out for roster spots.The Bolts make their first pick and nab Letran big man Christian Fajarito. Carlo De Chavez might have trouble cracking the Magnolia rotation.
Third Round
1. Blackwater Bossing -- Daryl Pascual
2. Terrafirma Dyip -- Allen Mina
3. Converge Fiber Xers -- Jollo Go
4. Phoenix Super LPG -- Alvin Baetiong
5. Rain or Shine Elasto Painters -- Rhaffy Octubre
6. NorthPort Batang Pier -- John Apacible
7. NLEX Road Warriors -- Levi Dela Cruz
8. Barangay Ginebra Kings -- Rence Alcoriza
9. San Miguel Beermen -- Jerwyn Guinto
10. Meralco Bolts -- JJ Española
11. TNT Tropang Giga -- Roberto Bartolo
12. Magnolia Chicken Timplados Hotshots -- Orlan Wamar Jr.
3rd round wrap-up: The Beermen and the Tropang Giga finally make their first picks. SMB pick Jerwyn Guinto -- younger brother of Bradwyn -- faces a tough challenge with the Beermen's loaded frontcourt. Magnolia tabbed the Combine's 3-point shootout winner but, at 5-6, Orlan Wamar is even shorter than Jio Jalalon. Third-round picks historically have trouble cracking rotations, and from this batch, maybe Jollo Go and John Apacible have the best chance. The lineups of NLEX, Ginebra, TNT and SMB are all pretty crowded.
Fourth Round
1. Blackwater Bossing -- Earvin Lacsamana
2. Terrafirma Dyip -- Shaq Alanes
3. Converge Fiber Xers -- PASS
4. Phoenix Super LPG -- Leonardo Esguerra
5. Rain or Shine Elasto Painters -- PASS
6. NorthPort Batang Pier -- Jhon Caspe
7. NLEX Road Warriors -- PASS
8. Barangay Ginebra Kings -- PASS
9. San Miguel Beermen -- Lyndon Colina
10. Meralco Bolts -- Andrey Armenion
11. TNT Tropang Giga -- John Villanueva
12. Magnolia Chicken Timplados Hotshots -- Garciano Puerto Jr.
4th round wrap-up: Four teams passed this round, and those that still made a pick could be simply looking at filling their 3x3 spots at this point. It's hard to see any of the eight players selected cracking any 5x5 rosters.
Fifth Round
1. Blackwater Bossing -- Arthur Navasero
2. Terrafirma Dyip -- Sandy Cenal
3. Converge Fiber Xers -- PASS
4. Phoenix Super LPG -- Niño Ibañez
5. Rain or Shine Elasto Painters -- PASS
6. NorthPort Batang Pier -- Yves Sason
7. NLEX Road Warriors -- PASS
8. Barangay Ginebra Kings -- PASS
9. San Miguel Beermen -- John Gonzaga
10. Meralco Bolts -- PASS
11. TNT Tropang Giga -- PASS
12. Magnolia Chicken Timplados Hotshots -- PASS
5th round wrap-up: Draftees in this round can draw inspiration from PJ Simon, who was also a fifth-round pick and went on to have a 15-year PBA career. But the five players picked here have a tough task ahead of them.
6th Round
1. Blackwater Bossing -- PASS
2. Terrafirma Dyip -- Red Cachuela
3. Converge Fiber Xers -- PASS
4. Phoenix Super LPG -- Nichole John Ubalde
5. Rain or Shine Elasto Painters -- PASS
6. NorthPort Batang Pier -- PASS
7. NLEX Road Warriors -- PASS
8. Barangay Ginebra Kings -- PASS
9. San Miguel Beermen -- CJ Cadua
10. Meralco Bolts -- PASS
11. TNT Tropang Giga -- PASS
12. Magnolia Pambasang Manok Hotshots -- PASS
6th round wrap-up: Only three teams made selections in this round. The picks here will have to put on the performance of their lives to get a shot at a roster spot.
7th round
All teams passed in the 7th round.
That wraps up the PBA Season 47 Rookie Draft. A total of 52 rookies were selected.
The Phoenix Super LPG Fuel Masters were the busiest team with eight selections, followed by the Blackwater Bossing with seven. Those who weren't picked will still have a shot at their PBA dreams as free agents.
They can take solace from the fact that players like Jackson Corpuz, Mark Yee, Jonathan Uyloan and Josh Urbiztondo were all undrafted but went on to have productive PBA careers.
Thanks for joining us and see you next year.