GINEBRA coach Tim Cone certainly has an eye for talent—even surprises—and last Sunday’s PBA rookie Draft was no exception.
The Kings used their 11th pick overall on little-known Sonny Estil, with Cone convinced the 6-foot-3 forward’s MVP performance during the Draft Combine proves he has what it takes.
“We weren’t thinking about our Draft pick at all. He wasn’t even on our radar until we saw him in the Combine and it was funny because my son proposed to his girlfriend in the United States, so I went back to the States for the ceremony,” Cone said. “So, they were sending me videos, so I was watching our videos and the games of the Combine, and I really liked this kid who was playing. Then, when I flew back here, I looked up in the news, and I found out that he won the MVP.
“So at that point, we thought, well, maybe we can’t get him anymore. Someone might pick him early because he won the MVP and got the attention. But, you know, we just think he’s a kid who has a lot of potential. He’s athletic. He runs the floor well. He gets to the basket well. He’s got good size for his position, which is important and we just felt that he had a really high upside,” he added.
Estil, 24, a proud son of Agusan Del Sur, was a journeyman during his collegiate career with stops at Perpetual Help, College of St. Benilde, and Letran in the NCAA.
Perhaps until the end of the two-day Combine when Estil boosted his stock and on that fateful Sunday when he heard his name called by the country’s most popular ball club, that his jump to the pro league is complete, notwithstanding the challenge to prove his worth in practice and get a contract.
That sounds like a happy ending, right?
Cone hopes so, especially with his charges needing a big boost to their frontline with the continued absence of big man Isaac Go due to an ACL injury.
Ginebra also picked Mario Barasi at 13th overall and John Abis at 23rd overall.
“So, it’s a great story. Guy (Estil) came from nowhere and then ended up being a first-round pick for Ginebra. I hope it ends up with a happy ending,” Cone said.
“I hope he earns a spot and he becomes a really good player for us. That would be a great ending to a great story.”
