A CERTIFIED star in the making?
La Salle coach Derrick Pumaren is convinced former University of the East standout Alvin Pasaol has what it takes to shine in the pros.
“I think he is ready for the PBA. He will be a big help offensively to the team that will draft him. He is a tough and a smart player,” Pumaren told Malaya-Business Insight yesterday.
“They can’t underestimate him. He can bring a lot on the table,” he added.
Pumaren recruited the 6-foot-3 wingman from Davao del Norte in 2015 when he was still calling the shots for the Red Warriors.
Pasaol, 25, officially applied last Jan. 8 for the PBA Draft set on March 14 likely to be held virtually due to the restrictions posed by the dreaded COVID-19 pandemic.
The third-ranked FIBA 3×3 player in the country, Pasaol suited up for UE under Pumaren from 2016 to 2018 where he once scored 49 points in 2017 against the Green Archers.
The burly but prolific Pasaol also played for Petron-Letran and Marinerong Pilipino in the PBA D-League and for Family’s Brand Sardines-Zamboanga City in the MPBL.
He came off a title win with Family’s Brand Sardines-Zamboanga City in the maiden season of the Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3×3 league last October and saw action in the Doha World Tour Masters last November.
Pasaol is also set to play for the country in the Olympic qualifying tournament in Graz, Austria in May.
Pumaren said savvy and grit hold the key for his former prized ward in the PBA.
“I think so (he can be a star in the PBA),” Pumaren said. “As long as he puts his mind and passion into the game.”
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.
