Pringle to head PBA draft?

MANILA, Philippines - What was initially thought to be a lean draft may turn out otherwise as highly-touted Stanley Pringle of Penn State is expected to join the PBA derby along with collegiate stars Bobby Ray Parks, Garvo Lanete, Kevin Alas, Ronald Pascual, Jake Pascual, Rome de la Rosa, the Semerad brothers and another blue-chip Fil-Am Chris Banchero.

The draft is scheduled on Aug. 24 at Robinson’s Manila. Two expansion teams Kia Motors and Blackwater are confirmed to participate. A third team N-Lex will decide on or before June 7 whether to push through with its plan to enter the PBA via the expansion route. N-Lex has a championship tradition in the PBA D-League, capturing six of seven crowns since the inception of the farm system in 2010-11. It is rumored that N-Lex is exploring the possibility of joining the PBA through the purchase of an existing franchise to fast-track the team’s competitiveness as a title contender.

Under PBA rules, a Fil-foreigner must play in at least two PBA D-League conferences before gaining eligibility to apply for the draft. The exception is if the Fil-foreigner is 27 or over or if he has played for the Philippine men’s senior national team. Filipinos are not required to go through the PBA D-League but must be at least 21. The exception is if the Filipino player has finished four years of college in which case he may apply even if younger than 21.

The deadline for Fil-foreigners to apply for the PBA draft is July 8 while for local players, it is Aug. 13. PBA commissioner Chito Salud said the league will issue a list of prospective Fil-foreign applicants to PBA teams on July 11 and set July 14-Aug. 12 as the contestability period. On Aug. 18, the applicants will go through biometrics and on Aug. 20, the final list of approved draft candidates will be released by the PBA.

Pringle, 27, is ripe for the PBA. Pensack Sports Management, based in California, sent an email to the PBA the other day signifying Pringle’s intention to join the draft. However, there were no accompanying documents so it couldn’t be considered an application. Fil-foreigners must submit a Bureau of Immigration certification and a Department of Justice confirmation of their Filipino citizenship.

The 6-1 guard, whose American father was with the US Navy and mother is Filipina, was captain of the Landstown High School varsity in Virginia Beach for two years and finished his prep career with 1,100 points over four seasons. As a senior, he averaged 18.3 points and 6.1 assists to lead Landstown to a 22-3 record. Pringle played two years for Penn State, averaging 6.9 points in 2007-08 and 12.7 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 2008-09. He shot over 42 percent from beyond the arc. In his second and final year under coach Ed DeChellis, Pringle lifted the Nittany Lions to the National Invitation Tournament title.

From the NCAA, Pringle took his sneakers to Belgium, Poland and Ukraine then landed a spot as an Asean import with the Indonesia Warriors in the ABL. He averaged 18.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and 6.2 assists to lead the Warriors to the ABL championship in 2012.

WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao may also enter the PBA draft. If he plans to be playing coach for Kia Motors, Salud said the boxing icon must go through the draft. Salud welcomed Pacquiao’s participation in the PBA in any capacity. Blackwater owner Dioceldo Sy said celebrity endorser Hayden Kho may be another draft applicant.

 â€œHayden is athletic and has the build of a basketball player,” said Sy. “He plays the game. We’ve talked to Hayden about it and for him, it would be a dream come true to play in the PBA, even if only for a few games.”

Aside from Pringle, another Fil-Am hotshot expected to join the draft is Banchero, a 6-1 guard from Seattle Pacific. Banchero, 24, was the PBA D-:League’s first round draft pick last year. He played in two ABL seasons for San Miguel Beer, averaging 12.7 points in his first year and 14.9 in his second. Banchero was named ABL Finals MVP for leading San Miguel to the 2013 championship. Both Pringle and Banchero graduated from college with degrees. Pringle earned a degree in Labor Studies and Employment Relations with a concentration in Human Resources while Banchero’s degree was in International Communications in Business.

A two-time UAAP MVP, Parks is now in the US testing the waters for a possible NBA breakthrough. The 21-year-old former National University standout will join the PBA draft if he finds no opportunity in the NBA. His N-Lex teammates Lanete, Alas, Jake, Kyle and Ronald Pascual, Ganuelas and de la Rosa are expected to apply for the draft. Other prospects are Prince Caperal, Juneric Baloria, Raul Soyud, Roy Rosario, Clark Bautista, Arvie Bringas, Juami Tiongson and the Semerad brothers.