PBL holds rookie camp

Close to 120 aspirants, including the future stars of the country’s premier collegiate leagues and a slew of Fil-foreign players, will get the chance to show their wares as the Philippine Basketball League stages its rookie camp today at the Reyes gym in Mandaluyong City.

Ateneo’s Japeth Aguilar, Mapua’s Kelvin dela Peña, Fil-Am players Joe Calvin Devance, Bryan Baculi and Ryan Arceo lead a long list of prospective rookies, each one hoping to pass the initial test of their budding basketball careers.

Aguilar and Devance are the tallest applicants at 6-foot-7, while Arceo and Baculi, though standing not more than six feet, are touted as two of the brightest prospects in the field.

Several big names from Cebu, among them Mark Ababon and Lloyd Sugian, have already signed up for the one-day event supported by Accel and Sunbolt Sports Energy Drink.

The one-day aspirants camp is set 1 p.m.-5 p.m. Players are advised to bring their playing uniforms and must be at the gym an hour before the session starts for further instructions.

"We have a good number of applicants and I’m sure our coaches will have a problem in selecting the best player from the field," said commissioner Chino Trinidad. "We can’t accommodate all the participants for the coming conference but this rookie camp will surely help them improve their game."

Veteran pro Joey Guanio will conduct the rookie camp where players have to go through several drills like one-on-one, three-on-three and five-on-five plays to test their shooting skills, quickness, ball-handling and defensive stands.

The kick-off tournament of the 24th season, likely to be called the Heroes Cup, begins Oct. 29.

The Rookie Draft is set on Wednesday at the Penthouse of the Phil. Stock Exchange Center (East Tower) on Exchange Road in Pasig City.

Other prominent players joining the draft are University of the East’s Marcy Arellano, Luis Palaganas and Earn Saquindel, Adamson’s Roel Hugnatan and John Marc Agustin, Far Eastern University’s Archie Mangahas and San Sebastian’s Francis de Leon.

Inquiries: Lanie Sagayap at tel. Nos. 667-3008-09 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.