Aside from the high profile picks of the Meralco Bolts in CJ cansino and Kurt Reyson, the recently crowned Philippine Cup champs also selected JP Maguliano and Jordan Bartlett as their 35th and 43rd choices, respectively.
The two promising players may find it hard to crack the deep bench and loaded back court of the Bolts, but there is still a chance that they can provide the much-needed spark when called upon.
JP Maguliano was a former Adamsonian, but he was never included in the roster of the 2017 Soaring Falcons. Despite that, the then 19-year-old had always dreamed of being part of a varsity team, especially after playing in the 2015 Palarong Pambansa to represent Region II.
He had to make a move if he wanted to pursue his dream of becoming a student-athlete. And he was able to do so by crossing the street of San Marcelino to enroll in EAC on 2018.
"John Paul is just a walk-in tryout from Adamson. He walked in last summer, he told us, sir pwede ba mag-try out?," recalled third-year Generals head coach Ariel Sison.
"Hindi ako pinalad na kunin ng ibang school kaya nag-aral ako sa Adamson, sariling ano po ‘yun. Walang scholar, aral lang," added Magaliano. "Hangga’t sa nainggit ako sa tropa kong LJ Gonzales [FEU Tamaraws]. Sinubukan mag-try out sa EAC."
The dreamer from Isabela was immediately thrown into the fire by Sison, as he was part of the EAC-Batangas Generals in the PBA D-League. And Maguliano made sure to seize the moment by impressing Sison, leading to his promotion to the lead Generals squad for the NCAA Season 94 Seniors Basketball Tournament.
The 6-foot-2 forward was unstoppable in the contest, finishing with mind-boggling numbers of 30 points on 11-for-16 shooting and 17 rebounds in 36 minutes of action. The numbers he posted were way above his 2.3 points and 5.7 rebounds in the three games he previously played.
Last year, Maguliano averaged 14.58 points for the Generals on top of 9.33 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 0.67 blocks, and 0.42 steals, crucial numbers as EAC tried and failed to vie for their NCAA Final Four bid.
Jordan Bartlett made heads turn on during the Mythical Five of the PBA Draft Combine Season 49 scrimmages, joining big names such as the No. 1 pick Justine Baltazar.
It was quite a feat for Bartlett considering that his basketball career hit pause during the pandemic.
When Bartlett played for La Salle in 2019, he knew that his next stop was the PBA draft. That was until the pandemic hit and that season with the Green Archers turned out to be his last in the UAAP.
"A lot of stuff happened in the pandemic. I had to go home because everything was put on pause here in the UAAP for two years. I had to move on," said the 27-year old. "I stayed for years in the US, and I finally decided. I knew I would always gonna join the PBA draft. It was just a matter when I'll enter my name.
"Since I was little, I always had a love for basketball. It was my first love. Being a pro is always my goal and dream. It was just a matter of time," he added.
The 5-foot-10 Bartlett put his basketball career in the backburner but didn't totally stayed away from the sport as he opened up a basketball gym in Alexandria, Virginia, a stone throw away from Washington DC.
Fortunately, business boomed and some of Bartlett’s clients were even a few members of the Washington Wizards. It was there where he gained a wealth of knowledge, especially on how NBA players approached the game from a training standpoint.
After closing his basketball gym, Bartlett returned to the Philippines to finish his studies at La Salle, where his desire to turn pro was rekindled.
"While I was here for a few months, I got to watch a few of my former teammates. I got that hunger back to want to play. I went home that Christmas, decided I want to play basketball in the Philippines. I trained extremely hard and I think I’m ready to go now," said Bartlett.
Bartlett finds inspiration from the story of Meralco's Brandon Bates, who was already working as a barista in Sydney, Australia when he decided to give the pro league a shot.
Now he hopes to replicate it.
"That’s my best friend right there. I’m extremely proud of him," Bartlett said of Bates. "For a time, I don’t think it wasn’t his intention to play basketball here again. He really put his mind to it. He worked very hard, came back, battled through injuries and went from someone who was barely in the rotation in college to becoming a PBA champion as a starter."
After being picked in the fourth round in the PBA Draft by the Meralco Bolts, fans hope to see Bartlett display his commitment to defense, exactly what Bates became known for during the recent PBA finals.
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