Bong Quinto, Kyles Lao pumped up for 2018 PBA Rookie Draft

MANILA, Philippines – Bong Quinto and Kyles Lao will make the biggest leap of their playing careers as they join the 2018 PBA Rookie Draft.

For both aspiring professionals, excitement is the only thing on their minds. 

“Simula nung bata pa lang ako at pumasok ako ng Letran, yun na ang pangarap ko, na talagang makapasok sa PBA (My dream was to play in the PBA since I was a kid and when I entered Letran),” said Quinto, the Letran star who steered the team back to the Final Four this past NCAA Season 94.

“Lahat ng paghihirap ko, bukas hanggang Sunday, malalaman mo kung worth it ba. Hindi natin alam ang mangyayari doon pero sobrang excited na ako.”

(I’ll finally know if all my struggles are worth it starting tomorrow [Wednesday, December 12] until Sunday. We don’t know what will happen, but I’m really excited.) 

Lao, a former UAAP Rookie of the Year from UP, shared the same sentiments, saying: “Nandoon yung excitement. It’s been a dream, not only me but every candidate since bata kami, of reaching the PBA one day. At the end of the day, di mawawala ang kaba na you wouldn’t know where you’ll land or what will happen sa combine at sa draft day mismo.“

(The excited is still there. It’s been a dream not only for me, but every candidate since we were young to reach the PBA one day. At the end of the day, I’ll still be nervous because you wouldn’t know where you’ll land or what will happen in the combine and draft day itself.) 

Quinto and Lao, two of the 48 neophytes hoping to be picked in Sunday’s draft, graced the weekly Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Forum on Tuesday, December 11.

The two are set to join the two-day Draft Combine at the Gatorade Hoops Center, with Wednesday devoted to anthropomorphic tests while Thursday is for a single-day tournament.

Jittery as their feeling are ahead of the draft proceedings, all Quinto and Lao are hoping for is to have their names called and walk up the stage, regardless of the team.

“Kahit saan naman (I’m good with any team),” said Lao, a self-professed San Miguel and Rain or Shine fan who idolizes Jayson Castro. 

“The fact that they chose you, at some point, they saw something in me that could fit in their system. It’s your job to adjust within the team too.”

Quinto, who fancied TNT and Alaska growing up and looks up to Calvin Abueva, shared: “Kahit anong mangyari, basta nasa PBA na. Trabaho na yan eh. Hinubog ako sa Letran na maging leader o role player, so bukod sa pangarap ko yan, ito na yung magpapakain sa family ko in the future.“

(Whatever happens, as long as you’re in the PBA already. That’s a job. Letran trained me to be a leader and a role player so aside from my dream, this is what will help me raise a family in the future.) – Rappler.com