Chris Banchero tops Day 1 of PBA Rookie Draft combine

MANILA, Philippines – Filipino-Italian Chris Banchero was all business the moment he stepped on the court of the Gatorade Hoops Center in Mandaluyong. He was dead serious as he warmed up, sprinted through the shuttle run station, completed the drills, and jumped highest over everybody in the vertical leap tests.

He gave off the vibe he was determined to make a mark on Day 1 of the two-day 2014 PBA Rookie Draft combine on Monday, August 18, which featured half of the total applicants whose last names start with the letters A up to G. And he succeeded in doing so by topping all 5 tests set for the aspirants.

“At the end of the day, I came here to be a top performer. I worked every day to be the best and to perform at the top level,” said Banchero, 25.

It was the first time ever that one player topped all tests in the rookie draft combine since it started in 1995.

“Ever since I got done in the D-League, I’ve been working every day on my game.”

The 6-foot-1 guard, who was selected first overall in the first-ever 2013 PBA D-League draft, is tagged as a sure first-rounder in the upcoming 2014 PBA Rookie Draft to be held on August 24.

Despite being a shoo-in for the draft and being quite well-known due to his impressive stint with the San Miguel Beermen in the ASEAN Basketball League, Banchero still took the combine seriously as he registered the following numbers for each of the required tests.

• Standing vertical leap: 33.73 in.
• Maximum vertical leap: 68.32 in.
• Lane agility drill: 8.33 sec.
• Shuttle run test: 16.87 sec.
• 3/4 court sprint: 2.91 sec. 

Banchero tallied two points, one rebound, and 3 assists during the scrimmage among rookies right after the tests.

“Regardless of what team I go to, I feel like I’m gonna be able to make an impact at the end of the day.”

Other top prospects at Day 1 of the combine included Kevin Alas, Jericho Cruz, Rome Dela Rosa, and Juneric Baloria. Dela Rosa of the San Beda Red Lions did not participate in the scrimmage after he pulled his hamstring during the tests.

Cruz, a former Adamson University standout, was third in the maximum vertical leap test with 62.97 inches. He also came in third for the lane agility drill at 8.90 seconds. Cruz leads a crop of Falcons also joining the draft including Rodney Brondial and Roider Cabrera.

Meanwhile, Alas, a former Letran Knight and PBA D-League MVP who also donned the national colors with Gilas Pilipinas, showed up at the combine sporting a more relaxed albeit excited demeanor.

The 22-year-old guard decided to join the draft just hours before the deadline.

“It was a last-minute decision. Before going to the deadline of the draft, ang daming meetings. Kasi yung Gilas tuloy-tuloy yung program eh. Siyempre iniisip ko rin dahil pangarap ko makapag-serve sa national team,” explained Alas, who posted zero points on 3 field goal attempts during the 5-on-5 but had 3 rebounds, 5 assists, and a block.

(It was a last-minute decision. Before going to the deadline of the draft, there were plenty of meetings. The Gilas program does not stop. Of course I was also considering my dream to serve the national team.)

He emphasized exactly why he chose to make the jump to the PBA.

“Just chasing the dream. Since nag-start ako mag-basketball, pangarap ng bawat basketball player is to make it to the PBA. Ito na yung opportunity so I grabbed it.” (Just chasing the dream. Since I started playing basketball, it’s been a dream of every basketball player to make it to the PBA. This is my opportunity so I grabbed it.)

Draft applicants rotated through 5 stations, executed motion offense, and played through scrimmages, which are all designed to give coaches, teams, and scouts a general idea of the abilities of their prospects. 

Applicants were first measured for height, weight and wingspan before going through the different tests. The vertical leap test covers two stations, which measures rookies’ leaping abilities both from a standing position and with momentum.

The lane agility drill, the 3/4 court sprint, and shuttle run stations are meant to reveal players’ speed, footwork, and movement.

While the scrimmages had the first batch of applicants divided into 4 groups and playing a normal 5-on-5 game for coaches to see how players react in an in-game environment.

Below is a list of the top performers from Day 1 of the combine.

Standing vertical leap:

1. Chris Banchero – 33.73 in.
2. Franklin Bonifacio – 33.46 in.
3. Hazel Foja – 31.49 in.
4. John Forondan – 31.34 in.
5. Jerald Bautista – 30.71 in.
6. Jonathan Banal – 30.70 in.
7. Juneric Baloria – 29.91 in.
8. Rome Dela Rosa – 29.15 in.
9. Rodney Brondial – 29.14 in.
10. Alwin Elinon – 29.14 in.

Maximum vertical leap:

1. Chris Banchero – 68.32 in.
2. Franklin Bonifacio – 64.31 in.
3. Jericho Cruz – 62.97 in.
4. Hazel Foja – 62 in.
5. Alwin Elinon – 60.18 in.
6. Mike Gamboa – 59.9 in.
7. Juneric Baloria – 59.18 in.
8. Jonathan Banal – 58.61 in.
9. Rome Dela Rosa – 58.13 in.
10. Lord Casajeros – 58.1 in.

Lane agility drill:

1. Chris Banchero – 8.33 sec.
2. Hazel Foja – 8.35 sec.
3. Jericho Cruz – 8.90 sec.
4. Anthony Gavieres – 8.91 sec.
5. Richard Cole – 9.17 sec.
6. Franklin Bonifacio – 9.38 sec.
7. Rocky Acidre – 9.51 sec.
8. Gab Banal – 9.59 sec.
9. Juneric Baloria – 9.67 sec.
10. Jerald Bautista – 9.68 sec.; Roider Cabrera – 9.68 sec.

Shuttle run:

1. Chris Banchero – 16.87 sec.
2. Rocky Acidre – 17.29 sec.
3. Hazel Foja – 17.33 sec.
4. Jackson Corpuz – 17.39 sec.
5. Franklin Bonifacio – 17.62 sec.
6. Jonathan Banal – 17.65 sec.
7. Mark Berry – 17.74 sec.
8. Richard Cole – 17.85 sec.
9. Rodney Brondial – 17.88 sec.
10. Lord Casajeros – 17.92 sec.

3/4 court sprint:

1. Chris Banchero – 2.91 sec.
2. Franklin Bonifacio – 3.00 sec.
3. Raymond Alcasabas – 3.03 sec.
4. Jericho Cruz – 3.13 sec.
5. Lester Dickens – 3.13 sec.
6. Jonathan Banal – 3.16 sec.
7. Hazel Foja – 3.16 sec.
8. Mike Gamboa – 3.19 sec.

 – Rappler.com