NORTHPORT coach Bonnie Tan and former Letran ace playmaker Fran Yu would certainly relish a reunion and take a chance at working together anew to help the Batang Pier reach unscaled heights in the PBA.
That’s if and when Yu, Tan’s former player with the Knights in the NCAA, will still be available in the third round of the pro league rookie draft set Sept. 17.
“Si Fran, kung walang kukuha, baka ma-draft natin sa third round kasi we don’t have any second-round pick,” Tan said. “Hindi lang si Berto (Bolick) ang nawala sa amin kundi pati si Roi (Sumang) kaya butas din kami sa point guard.
“Sina (Paul) Zamar, Joshua Munzon, mga combo guards talaga mga iyon so kailangan din sana namin si Fran,” he added.
The wily 5-foot-10 Yu was a former finals MVP for Letran and played a big role in the Knights’ three straight title wins under Tan in the country’s oldest collegiate league.
NorthPort, which owns the No. 5 and No. 11 picks overall in the annual proceedings, is set to tab big men which the team sorely needs, according to Tan.
“Bigs ang hinahanap ng team kaya iyon ang talagang tinitingnan namin. Masyado kasing lumiit ang team noong nawala si (Greg) Slaughter at Troy Rike kaya forced kaming kumuha talaga ng mga natural centers,” Tan said.
“Of course, nandiyan na sina (Prince) Caperal at Christian (Balagasay) pero kulang pa dahil si JM (Calma) more of a forward talaga.”
Yu is among the collegiate standouts proving they have what it takes in the ongoing PBA On Tour.
Whether Yu ends up playing for the Batang Pier or with a different team, Tan is simply elated to help his former ward boost his stock as a preparation to his move to Asia’s first play for pay league.
“Ang gusto lang naman natin makatulong tayo sa ibang players natin sa college na magpapa-draft na sa PBA,” he said. “At least kahit hindi sa iyo mag-land kahit papaano nakatulong sa bata.”
