SUMMARY
This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.
MANILA, Philippines — The San Miguel Beermen added two exciting young prospects to the fold, signing Kyt Jimenez and Troy Mallillin to respective two-year rookie deals on Wednesday, September 27.
Jimenez, who has amassed a large social media following due to his array of entertaining and skillful basketball moves, will finally get to link up with his idol Terrence Romeo.
“It feels like I’m in heaven because I’ve been dreaming about this since I was a child,” Jimenez told reporters in Filipino after he was drafted 76th overall in the recent PBA Rookie Draft.
“I never expected that I’ll be picked by San Miguel. I was holding back tears when I heard my name even if it was already near the end. That is the Lord’s will.”
After his stint with the Perpetual Altas in the NCAA, Jimenez gained recognition playing for Mav’s Phenomenal Basketball in a series of exhibition games held during the pandemic.
He now boasts over 300,000 social media followers, including 180,000 from YouTube alone.
The guard also displayed his wares in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL), where he tallied a rare quadruple-double of 33 points, 13 rebounds, 11 assists, and 11 steals in Sarangani’s 125-74 blowout of Mindoro in October 2022.
Also signed by the Beermen is Mallillin, the 36th overall pick, who was a former Most Valuable Player of the NCAA juniors division.
He played collegiate hoops for the Ateneo Blue Eagles before signing a deal in the MPBL.
Around the league
Meanwhile, two-time PBA MVP James Yap will extend his professional basketball career after signing a one-conference deal with Rain or Shine.
Yap, a San Juan City councilor, has been juggling sports and politics, having taken a leave of absence in November 2021.
The seven-time PBA champion also signed a one-conference deal with the Elasto Painters in the PBA Governors’ Cup earlier this year.
He appeared in 10 games, starting in three, with averages of 5.2 points and 1.7 rebounds.
On the other hand, NorthPort locked NCAA standout Fran Yu to a two-year rookie deal.
The spitfire guard, who starred with the Letran Knights, had already played with the Batang Pier in the recent PBA On Tour, before being drafted 40th overall.
Yu will reunite with college coach Bonnie Tan, who steered the powerhouse team to a pair of championships.
Converge also signed draft pick BJ Andrade (10th overall), Kamron Vigan-Fleming (33rd), and Patrick Maagdenberg (61st) to respective deals.
Andrade and Vigan-Fleming were both selected by Converge, while Maagdenberg, was scooped from the free agency pool as Magnolia decided not to sign him.
Maagdenberg and Andrade both played for the Blue Eagles, while Vigan-Fleming studied at Bethesda University in Anaheim, California.
Barangay Ginebra, meanwhile, rewarded Ralph Cu with a one-year deal after playing in the team’s 3×3 and PBA On Tour squads. — Rappler.com
Add a comment
How does this make you feel?
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.