D-Day valedictorian

Air21, formerly FedEx, was the clear winner in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) draft at the Sta. Lucia East Grand Mall the other day.

Although three other teams walked away with three draft picks, none had as many first round choices than the Express. Air21, Coca-Cola, Sta. Lucia Realty and Red Bull claimed three draftees each.

The three Express draftees were all first rounders — No. 1 Anthony Washington, No. 5 Mac-Mac Cardona and No. 6 Nino Canaleta. Air21 previously gave up its second round slot in the Gary David trade.

Coca-Cola tapped first-rounder Denok Miranda and second-rounders Neil Raneses and Al Magpayo.

Coca-Cola had a first-rounder in Denok Miranda and two second-rounders in Neil Raneses and Al Magpayo. Sta. Lucia’s picks were first-rounder Alex Cabagnot and second-rounders Cesar Catli and Rey Mendoza. Red Bull named first-rounder Leo Najorda and second-rounders Larry Fonacier and Paolo Bugia.

Purefoods was next in the stakes with two picks, first-rounder Jondan Salvador and second-rounder B. J. Manalo.

Winding up with a choice apiece were Barangay Ginebra (Mike Holper), San Miguel Beer (Paolo Hubalde), Alaska (Mark Kong) and Talk ‘N’ Text (Mark Macapagal).

Of the 18 players selected, Najorda and Fonacier didn’t participate in the two-day rookie camp. The only other player in the list of 49 draft eligibles who skipped the camp was guard Ronnie Zagala.

Four draftees were less than six-feet tall — 5-10 1/ 4 Hubalde, 5-10 3/ 4 Manalo, 5-10 3/ 4 Miranda and 5-11 Cabagnot — while seven were over 6-3 — 6-3 1/ 2 Washington, 6-3 5/ 8 Mendoza, 6-4 Najorda, 6-4 Canaleta, 6-4 3. 4 Bugia, 6-5 Kong and 6-6 Holper.

Among the 31 bypassed in the draft were Gerard Jones, Jerwin Gaco, Emerson Oreta, Arjun Cordero and the pool’s tallest player 6-7 Don Yabut. The 31 players are now classified as unrestricted free agents.

Alaska and Talk ‘N’ Text were the only teams that had no first round slot.

The biggest surprise in the draft was Hubalde, the shortest player picked. San Miguel Beer coach Joseph Uichico had earlier indicated he would consider a point guard whom Olsen Racela could train as an understudy. Hubalde, 24, played for the Mapua juniors and the University of the East seniors. His father, of course, is former PBA star Freddie Hubalde.

Another surprise was Kong, a burly bruiser whose playing resume listed stints with La Salle, Letran and Adamson and clubs in the PBL, URBL and NBC. He was the second heaviest player in the draft at 225 pounds.

Washington tipped the scales at 230. Kong Alaska coach Tim Cone said Kong has the potential to be a Luc Longley in the Aces’ triangle system.

Mendoza was a surprise, too. He’s a cousin of PBA veterans Long and Al David. In 1999, he saw action for a high school all-star squad that won the Nike Invitationals in Taipei. His teammates included James Yap, Paul Artadi, former La Salle cager Eric Arejola, Gaco and Zagala.

Mendoza, 24, took the Most Improved Player award and was named to the mythical first team at center in the 2003 UAAP season. The National University star played three years in the PBL with Shark, Sunkist, Hapee, Ateneo and Harbor Centre.

Teams are given up to Friday to sign up their draftees. If not, they become restricted free agents, meaning the teams retain the right of first refusal.

At Air21, newly appointed coach Bo Perasol has the unenviable task of pruning his roster to eliminate redundancies. The Express is overloaded at the two-guard spot with Gary David, Ren-Ren Ritualo, Wesley Gonzales, Ronald Tubid, Bruce Dacia and now, Cardona. Perasol also has a bunch of big men like Marlon Legaspi, John Ferriols, Marc Pingris, Ranidel de Ocampo and now, Washington and Canaleta.

At point guard are Wynne Arboleda, Egay Billones, Chito Victolero, Mike Bravo and Rensy Bajar. Those who can play multiple positions will probably stay.

No matter what Perasol decides, Air21 promises to be an exciting squad that will thrive on hustle, high energy and an up-tempo pace.

With the league down to nine teams, the competition for jobs is at its most frenetic and intense. The quality of play should dramatically improve as every player will want to show he belongs in the league.

Because there’s just so much talent in the pool of free agents to build a competitive nucleus, now would be a perfect time for the league to welcome one or two more teams.

After all, the PBA is still the most cost-efficient vehicle for a company to promote its products.