Foremost among the Fil-Am draftees are Kim Valenzuela, Denver Lopez and Nicholas Joseph Fasano, all packing impressive credentials.
Several coaches have expressed early interest in the 22-year-old Valenzuela, a 5-foot-9 playmaker who is bent on following the footsteps of TnT ace Jimmy Alapag, last year’s PBA Rookie of the Year with whom he had played in Fil-Am competitions in the West Coast.
Valenzuela, whose parents are from Tanauan, Batangas, had seen action for San Diego Dynasty, considered among the best teams in California, after stints with the Serra High School where he once scored 41 points and dished off 10 assists in a game and the Cuyamaca College.
Among his awards are Eastern League Player of the Year, MVP in his junior and senior year at Serra High and MVP of the Surf and Slam Tournament.
Another looming threat to the local hopefuls is the Caloocan-born Lopez. He is 23 years old, stands 6-foot-2 and agile at 183 lbs.
Lopez played for Nogales High School before moving on to the California State University-Dominguez Hills (Division II) where he played for a year then joined California State University-Fullerton (Division I) for four years. Lopez was a multi-awarded cager in high school and was even named co-MVP with Casey Jacobsen (now an NBA player) in the Sierra League during his senior year. He was a recipient of the California State University Student Athlete Honor Roll Award for four years.
Fasano, at 6-foot-3, is out to join the growing list of tall point-guards in the league.
Fasano, born in Guam to a Filipina mother and an Italian father, played for Morse High School for four years, the Mesa College for a year and the San Diego Dynasty for three years. Fasano’s record includes winning an award from the San Diego Union Tribune, MVP of the Sweetwater Tournament, MVP of Morse and Defensive Player of the Year at Mesa College.
Fasano, a defense-oriented player, averaged 18 points and seven assists per game in high school and 12 points and five assists in college with stint in the San Diego All Star Game and with the San Diego Dynasty Team.