SBP eyeing 5 to 6 Gilas players in super-stacked 2021 PBA draft

The Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) is set to bring in another nice haul of the country’s best homegrown stars for the growing Gilas Pilipinas youth program.

SBP President Al Panlilio bared at the Philippine Sportswriters Association online forum on Tuesday, February 2, that the national team is eyeing 5 to 6 players in the special Gilas class of the super-stacked 2021 PBA Rookie Draft, an increase from the initial 3 to 4 picks.

“The coaches have reviewed the list already. I think maybe we’re looking at 5 to 6 players. We’re still finalizing it,” he said.

“My commitment was to share the list with [PBA] Comm. Willie [Marcial]. I just have to finalize it maybe in the next couple of days.”

Although standout Gilas cadets like La Salle’s Justine Baltazar and UP’s Javi Gomez de Liano skipped this year’s draft, there are still a handful of draft applicants with national team experience like NCAA MVP Calvin Oftana of San Beda, Ateneo’s Will Navarro, and UP’s Jaydee Tungcab.

Other eligible top-ranked prospects in the draft pool include 3×3 veterans Alvin Pasaol and Santi Santillan.

The final number of Gilas recruits matters a lot for all PBA teams as each prospect has a mother team to hold draft rights if the national team ends its loan period, or if the player refuses a contract renewal.

The regular draft then starts immediately after the last Gilas pick, and the order restarts from the top team going down, which means that a single omission or addition to the Gilas draft can change every team’s priorities for the regular draft.

In the last PBA draft, Gilas selected Isaac Go, Rey Suerte, Allyn Bulanadi, and twin brothers Matt and Mike Nieto, all of whom have mother teams as well.

However, all Gilas prospects chosen two years ago have since renewed their national team commitment ahead of the final window of the 2021 FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers in Doha, Qatar.

Regardless, all teams still have a lot of time to adjust their wish lists accordingly as the draft is still one month away on March 14. – Rappler.com