FIL-Am guard and top prospect Stephen Holt was a no-show during the first day of the PBA draft Combine due to family matters yesterday at the Gatorade Hoops Center in Mandaluyong.
In his absence, former NCAA standouts shone, among them Rhinwill Yambing, a product of San Sebastian College; fellow former Golden Stag Kenneth Villapando, Perpetual Help’s Kim Aurin, College of St. Benilde’s JC Cullar, and Enoch Valdez of Lyceum.
The 6-foot-3 Yambing topped the standing vertical jump test with a leap of 34.5 inches while Villapando showed the way in the 3/4 court sprint with a clocking of 2.81 seconds.
Aurin, who saw action for Ginebra in 3×3 play; Cullar, Valdez, and former University of the Philippines center Jboy Gob all tallied 100 percent in the reaction test.
NBL-Pilipinas’ Alwin Margallo emerged as the frontrunner in the lane agility test with 11.53 ticks, while Fil-Am Larry Arpia Jr. soared 43 inches in the maximum vertical test.
A record 128 players are aching to have their names called in the annual proceedings this Sunday at the Market! Market! in Taguig.
The number of applicants is a new pro league high, surpassing the previous mark of 97 for the 46th season draft, with the 31 Fil-foreign applicants also an all-time high.
Also absent in the skills test were PBA 3×3 standouts Keith Datu and Brandon Bates, former Fighting Maroon star Zavier Lucero, and Ateneo’s BJ Andrade.
Ditto with University of the East forward Luis Villegas, former Arellano forward Cade Flores, and former KBL import Christian David. Lucero, Andrade, and Villegas are all recuperating from ACL injuries.
A total of 111 hopefuls joined the Combine bannered by Ricci Rivero, Schonny Winston, Fran Yu, James Kwekuteye, and Kemark Cariño.
