Fajardo joins PBA draft, looms as top pick; Abueva, Pascual also in

Courtesy of ASEAN Basketball League

Days before the application deadline for the PBA draft, top talents are throwing their hats into the ring.

Junemar Fajardo, a mobile 6-foot-10 center who spent the past season with the San Miguel Beermen in the ASEAN Basketball League, is the latest big name to join the draft.

The former University of Cebu slotman joins a crack list of homegrown talents that include San Sebastian stars Calvin Abueva and Ronald Pascual former SMART-Gilas standouts JR Cawaling and Aldrech Ramos from FEU.

Earlier, top Filipino-American prospects also joined the prospects’ list, including Cliff Hodge and Chris Ellis of NLEX and Alex Mallari and Keith Jensen of Big Chill.

Petron, which is also owned by the same San Miguel Corporation that bankrolls the Beermen, owns the No. 1 pick after a previous trade with Air 21, and will use it on Fajardo. SMC executive Noli Eala calls the choice of Fajardo a “no-brainer”.

“Absolutely. He’s our man,” Eala wrote in a text message to InterAKTV.

Alaska owns the second pick, while Petron also owns the third choice that was originally from Barako Bull. Meralco, Barako Bull (from Petron), Barangay Ginebra (from Powerade), Rain or Shine, Ginebra again, B-MEG, and the new Mikee Romero-owned team that bought the Powerade franchise complete the first round.

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