PVL to hold 1st-ever rookie draft

MANILA, Philippines – For the first time in its seven-year history, the Premier Volleyball League will hold its first rookie drafting rites this July and will be done via lottery that the league would televise or live-stream for everyone to see.

“Yes, we would be having our first rookie draft possibly this July or just before the Reinforced Conference,” said PVL commissioner Sherwin Malonzo. “Maybe we could have it live streamed for transparency.”

Malonzo said the ceremony would be similar to the drafting lottery done in the National Basketball Association wherein the teams that placed at the bottom of the standings will get the best chance of claiming the best picks.

“To avoid tanking, the system we’ll use will give the last placed team from the 12 a 40% chance, the second to last 30%, the third and fourth to last 20% and 10%,” he said.

The last-placed team from the just concluded All-Filipino Conference was Strong Group Athletics followed by Capital 1 Solar, Galeries Tower and Farm Fresh, which wound up 11th, 10th and ninth, respectively.

Only the last four squads would take part in the lottery as the fifth pick goes automatically to No. 8 Nxled, sixth to No. 7 Akari, seventh to No. 6 Cignal, and eighth to No. 5 PLDT.

The last four picks of the first round goes to No. 4 Chery Tiggo, No. 3 Petro Gazz, No. 2 Choco Mucho and newly crowned All-Filipino Conference champion Creamline.

And the second round will start with SGA getting the first pick and so on and so forth.

This draft meant the old practice of franchises directly hiring players from the collegiate ranks will no longer be allowed.