The PBA has extended its Fil-foreigner documents submission deadline for the 2021 Rookie Draft to March 5 after it was revealed on Thursday, January 28, that 18 out of the 31 foreigner applicants are still ineligible.
PBA commissioner Willie Marcial, however, clarified that the league will accept no more new Fil-foreign applications after the initial January 27 deadline lapsed.
Marcial said he received reports of players being stuck in the US, unable to fly out, or being down with COVID-19, so he decided to request the extension to the league governors.
Marcial did not name the ineligible players prior to the extension.
This now leaves Fil-foreigners and their agents ample time to secure their required documents from the Bureau of Immigration and the Department of Justice before the highly anticipated March 14 draft, where all 12 teams will be spoiled for choice with a massive 97-man pool.
The Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) will also hold another special round for full-time Gilas Pilipinas players, but obviously only for homegrown Filipino prospects. (READ: SBP confirms special Gilas draft amid 97-strong pool)
As for the Fil-foreigners, their batch will be bannered by standouts like the veteran Jason Brickman, and the up-and-coming Jeremiah Gray, both of whom reportedly had trouble securing documents prior to the deadline. – Rappler.com
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.