WILL he be the top pick overall?
High-flying Fil-Am wingman Joshua Munzon officially applied last Friday for the PBA Draft set on March 14.
The No. 1 FIBA 3×3 player in the country, Munzon is coming off a title win in his stint with Family’s Brand Sardines-Zamboanga City in the maiden season of the Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3×3 league last October and played in the Doha World Tour Masters last November.
Munzon, 26, is also set to suit up for the Philippine quartet in the Olympic qualifying tournament in Graz, Austria in May.
The 6-foot-4 Munzon first proved his worth with the Saigon Heat and the Westports Malaysia Dragons in the ABL in 2017 to 2018.
He was tabbed by AMA Online Education as the first pick overall in the 2019 PBA D-League Draft.
Munzon averaged gaudy numbers of 35.0 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 4.2 assists for the Titans in the D-League play two years ago.
Terrafirma owns the top pick overall anew, followed by NorthPort, Blackwater, NLEX, and Rain or Shine in the top five.
The Elite’s No. 3 selection will go to the Road Warriors as part of the complicated three-team trade that sent JP Erram from NLEX to TNT last February 2020.
By formalizing his application for the Draft likely to be held virtually due to the restrictions brought about by the deadly COVID-19 pandemic, Munzon joined fellow 3×3 standouts Alvin Pasaol, Leonard Santillan, Troy Rike, and Franky Johnson, who have officially entered the annual proceedings along with La Salle forward Tyrus Hill, big man Andre Paras, former Green Archers guard Andrei Caracut, and former National University and San Beda University players Tzaddy Rangel and Jun Bonsubre, respectively.
From the NCAA, prolific playmaker RK Ilagan of San Sebastian College, big men Larry Muyang and Ben Adamos of Letran and Perpetual Help, respectively, have said they will forego their final year and instead turn pro, while from the UAAP, Jerrick Ahanmisi of Adamson University has also expressed his interest to join the Draft.
If and when a special Gilas Pilipinas Draft takes place, among those likely to be part of next year’s pool are members of the Gilas squad in the Bahrain bubble that include Green Archers slotman Justine Baltazar, reigning NCAA MVP Calvin Oftana of San Beda University, University of the Philippines forward Javi Gomez de Liaño, and Ateneo’s Will Navarro. All have one more year left in their collegiate careers but have yet to decide whether to turn pro or stay.
