Basketball pedigree

This weekend marks another PBA Rookie Draft, with a lot of big names from heralded schools and some highly touted Fil-Am hopefuls entering the pool. Luckily, there are 12 teams picking, making more room for young players to make names for themselves in the league. Some of the 87 applicants know more or less what they’re getting into; others haven’t got a clue. The two-day camp earlier in the week gave them a glimpse who they’re fighting with for the limited slots available, but there is still no way of knowing what’s in store for them.

For those who will be looking at these draftees as their forebears, who hope to enter the PBA in the next few years, there is still time to improve their stock, make themselves more desirable, and simply improve their chances. As the cliché goes, those who do not know their history are condemned to repeat it. But knowing how the system works, a large number of the draft applicants already know which teams they are going to, though they are technically not supposed to say. Teams will want players not just for their size and skill, but for their personalities and pedigree, which has several dimensions. It may be a problem with authority or having come from the “wrong” school, or simply a language barrier.

There are things that you can’t really change, like your size. But what are some of the things aspiring players can do to improve their basketball pedigree, and stand a better chance of being drafted higher or being drafted at all?

Higher standards. For players who are in college, it is rare to get a chance to play against professional talent, so they may not really have a clear notion of how far the gap is between the two. You can’t hit a target if you don’t know where it is. Letran guard Kevin Alas considers himself very fortunate to have been a Gilas Pilipinas cadet and seeing action in an international competition. It helped him know how much he needed to prepare for becoming a pro.

“It’s really different; there’s no comparison,” Alas told this writer. “I learned so much from Kuya Jimmy (Alapag), Kuya Jason (Castro) and Kuya LA (Tenorio). They’ve set the standard for where I want to be.”

Being able to even scrimmage against PBA-class opponents gives you an idea of how adequate you are in terms of strength, speed and skill. The most problematic players are those who are “tweeners,” players who had a clearly defined role on their varsity team, but will not be able to fill that role in the PBA because they are too small, or don’t have the requisite skills.

“I want to stay with the MVP group, but I’m also hoping my coach will be able to help me develop as a three or four,” admits San Beda’s 6’6” Kyle Pascual. “I played center my whole career in college, but I know I’m too small to play center in the PBA. That’s one of the things I’m looking forward to.”

Learn the language. Aside from the more complex language of basketball in varsity programs, it gets even more complicated in the pros. The rules are different, and the game is longer and more physical. Defenses are much harder to overcome. New players have to have both the attitude and aptitude to adapt, or they will rot on the bench, or have very short careers.

Learning how to speak and comprehend the mode of teaching in the PBA is also a potential hurdle. This may sound like a joke, but in reality, it can be a real concern, especially for players who come from outside Luzon, where the technical language of basketball is in English or Filipino. James Yap, who hails from Negros, told this writer that one of the adjustments he had to make when he played for the University of the East was mastering Tagalog, which was not his first language. And after that, the league’s most recent Finals MVP laughs about how the San Mig Coffee players all had to re-master English when coach Tim Cone came along.

“English? English, is it?” Yap chuckled. “We used to tease each other who would last the longest talking to coach Tim in English. But he understands Tagalog, anyway.”

Work ethic. The players who work the hardest often last the longest. Benjie Paras, the only Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player in league, would say anything to be allowed to enter the PBA draft, including promising to accomplish the said feat even though he was only 20 years old.

“Afterwards, I tried to remember what I said,” Paras laughs. “But I just enjoyed every game, and I was always early for practice and the last to leave, which is a very good attitude for a rookie.”

But what Paras means is not just shooting and drills, but also mentally preparing for every game. Flexibility will be a key to longevity in the pros, particularly if your position or role in college is already occupied by someone else when you get drafted. One thing is for sure, if you are an outstanding defensive player, every team will have a spot for you, more so if you can stop an import from scoring heavily.

Lastly, players who are talented and marketable bring two benefits, not just one. Rain or Shine team owner Raymond Yu admitted that aside from the arrival of coach Yeng Guiao, the franchise’s fortunes started turning when they acquired a pair of players who brought both talent and market appeal which helped their products.

“ I remember our turn-around started when we got Gabe Norwood and Sol Mercado,” Yu says. “Players who are both talented and very marketable really help your product.”

These are some of the things that players have to bear in mind. Showing up is half the job, but it still is only half the job. Taking it seriously is the other half, because, bottomline, it is a profession, and can be consuming. If you’re not ready to commit fully, you may want to rethink playing in the PBA.