It’s Washington at No. 1 for sure

No doubt about it, Anthony Washington will be the No. 1 pick in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) draft at the Sta. Lucia East Mall this afternoon.

FedEx will choose the 6-5 1/2, 230-pound Washington for sure because there isn’t a more talented player with his size, strength and all-around skills.

Washington, 23, isn’t classified as a Fil-Am because he was born in San Antonio, Zambales. His American father Victor was a former US serviceman stationed at Subic Naval Base. His Filipina mother Vivian Decatoria is from Leyte.

Washington was only two when he left the country for the US with his parents. He returned last September to begin a career in basketball. A half-sister Sharon lives in Leyte.

Washington suited up for the Queens College varsity in New York and once played against Fil-Am John Arigo of the University of North Florida. He later played three years for Eckert College, an NCAA Division II school in Florida.

Washington earned his spurs playing in the Philippine Basketball League (PBL) and was picked for the national training pool by coach Chot Reyes.

What makes Washington a shoo-in as the top overall pick is his versatility. He can play multiple positions and is a threat from both outside and inside. Additionally, he has the bulk to body up against the likes of Asi Taulava and Eric Menk.

At the recent rookie two-day camp, Washington impressed the pro scouts by measuring 11 feet and one inch in his vertical leap. Only Niño Canaleta, who jumped to 11 feet and three inches, registered higher. Washington also did 35 bench press repetitions, tying Romar Menor for top honors, 55 straight pushups and seven consecutive pullups.

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Only 49 of 55 original applicants were cleared for the draft. Struck out were Francis Reyes of Mapua, Donald Dulay of El Camino College, Ariel de Castro of National University, Ricky Ricafuente of Technological Institute of the Philippines, Roman Laygo of Southwestern University and Jayjay Robles of Chemeketa Community College.

Of the 49, 24 trace their roots to the UAAP and 13 to the NCAA.

The only player with UAAP and NCAA credentials is 6-2 1/2 Cyril Santiago who went to Letran and Far Eastern University (FEU).

In the two-day rookie camp, only two players shot less than 50 percent from the line. They were Vincent Santos of the University of the Assumption and 6-7 Don Yabut of FEU. Santos hit 4-of-10 and Yabut, 3-of-10.

Yabut is the tallest player in the draft at 6-7. The shortest is 5-5 Dennis Rodriguez of the Philippine Christian University and Lyceum.

The oldest applicant is 29-year-old Heremias Sison of the National College of Business Administration while the youngest is 21-year-old Artemio Almeda of the University of the Philippines.

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The order of the draft in the first round is as follows: 1. FedEx. 2. Sta. Lucia Realty. 3. Coca-Cola. 4. Purefoods. 5. FedEx (from Red Bull in the Omanzie Rodriguez trade). 6. Shell (forfeited due to leave of absence, from Alaska in the Tony de la Cruz and Rich Alvarez trade). 7. FedEx (from Shell in the Roger Yap trade). 8. Barangay Ginebra. 9. San Miguel Beer. 10. Red Bull (from Talk ‘N’ Test in the Willie Miller trade).

The second round order is as follows: 1. Sta. Lucia. 2. Coca-Cola (from FedEx in the Gary David trade). 3. Coca-Cola. 4. Purefoods. 5. Red Bull. 6. Alaska. 7. Shell (forfeited due to leave of absence). 8. Sta. Lucia (from Barangay Ginebra in a three-way trade). 9. Red Bull (from San Miguel Beer in the Rysal Castro trade). 10. Talk ‘N’ Text.

Only 18 players will be picked assuming no team passes in the two rounds of draft. Those who will not be chosen automatically become unrestricted free agents.

Among those tipped to be selected in the first round are Alex Cabagnot, Jondan Salvador, Mac-Mac Cardona and Denok Miranda.

Cabagnot, 22, is the draft’s mystery pick. The US-raised Cabagnot has never played in a local league and qualifies as a native, not as a Fil-Am, because he was born here. He erased Mark Caguioa’s scoring records at Eagle Rock High in Los Angeles and played for the University of Hawaii at Hilo varsity.