With no big names in the upcoming PBA draft and the team is bound to pick late in the first round, the Meralco Bolts are not stressing the situation. They have a strategy. They’re not looking for a certain name. They are eyeing a certain type.
Coach Luigi Trillo and team consultant Nenad Vucinic already did that last year and they don't mind doing that again. In fact, they have that type of player in mind.
"I’ve been with Meralco going on 13 years and the highest pick we’ve had was New (Chris Newsome) at fourth. You have to land some diamonds in the rough," Trillo told the Inquirer.
"Bong (Quinto) was a late pick, so was AB (Aaron Black). They’re diamonds in the rough. Right now, for us, we want to see what kind of draft it will be."
Last year’s draft alone was proof that the Bolts don’t mind a duplication of players in a certain position.
Fresh off a Philippine Cup championship run last year, Meralco picked up State U product CJ Cansino.
The Cansino pick boggled some minds as, at the time, Meralco had an array of small forwards in Allein Maliksi, Bong Quinto, Jansen Rios and Raymar Jose, to name a few.
However, by Meralco’s design, Cansino thrived in his rookie year with the Bolts, even shining in the all-Filipino conference with averages of 10.17 points, 2.83 rebounds and 1.17 assists per game.
The State U product’s steady performance at Meralco in the past conference, however, isn’t a surprise for Trillo and the Bolts, who have used their strategy to mitigate their frequent draft position.
And this year, that position doesn’t look like it will change. The Bolts, who never missed the Playoffs in all three conferences, are projected to pick at No. 8 or lower.
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