MANILA – Some 86 players, including 21 Fil-foreigners, have been given the green light to join the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Season 46 Draft following the release of the final list of draftees on Monday.
A total of 97 players applied for the March 14 event, but 11 of them have been taken out from the final list with seven due to failure to submit necessary documents.
Former Alab Pilipinas players Jason Brickman, Brandon Rosser, and Jeremiah Gray, former Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3×3 star Taylor Statham, and former Adamson and La Salle player Tyrus Hill headline the Filipino-American athletes who missed the March 5 deadline to submit clearances from the Department of Justice and the Bureau of Immigration to become eligible for the draft.
The five players are projected to be selected within the first two regular rounds based on early mock drafts.
John Paul Gulfo and Christopher Cancio also failed to submit the needed papers.
On the other hand, JJ Española, John Paul Zarco, Ezra Ocampo, and Neiloween de Jesus have backed out from the draft.
Despite the subtraction, the draft class tipped as one of the deepest pools ever, remains loaded with the likes of Joshua Munzon, Jamie Malonzo, and Alvin Pasaol leading the way in the regular rounds.
Also to watch out are the four players included in the special Gilas Pilipinas round — Jordan Heading, Tzaddy Rangel, Will Navarro, and Jaydee Tungcab.
With no PBA Draft Combine set this year due to the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, the teams have been permitted to conduct pre-draft workouts.
This year’s draft will be conducted virtually. (PNA)