PBA rookie draft listup deadline set

MANILA, Philippines - Deadline for submission of applications for the 2012 PBA Rookie Draft is on July 6 for the Fil-foreign aspirants and on Aug. 6 for homegrown talents, according to the PBA.

The league also announced that July 10 is the last day of the issuance of preliminary list of prospective Fil-foreign draftees to the teams, which will also have the period of July 11 to Aug. 2 to contest the eligibility of any applicant.

Rookie applicants go through biometrics on Aug. 15, a day before the final list of candidates for the draft is released.

The league expects another good yield of young talents for the 2012-13 PBA season with the Draft Day set Aug. 19 at Robinson’s Place Manila.

Last year, the PBA harvested a bumper crop in the Draft with former La Salle standout Jvee Casio emerging as the top pick.

Included in the talent-laden 2011 pool were other first-rounder draftees Paul Lee, Chris Lutz, Marcio Lassiter, Mark Barroca, Mac Baracael, Jason Ballesteros, Allein Maliksi, Reil Cervantes and Dylan Ababou.

Casio and Lassiter both went to Powerade and instantly created an impact, helping the Tigers to a second-place finish behind the Talk n Text Tropang Texters in the Philippine Cup. Picked in the second round were Magi Sison, John Raymundo, Eric Salamat, Julius Pasculado, Ariel Mepana, Brian Ilad, Gilbert Bulawan, James Martinez, Kenneth Acibar, Paul Sorongon and John Marc Agustin.

With a deep draft roster, the league stretched the Draft beyond two rounds. Mark Cagoco and Filemon Fernandez were drafted in the third round and Gerald Lapus came in the fourth.