https://www.spin.ph/basketball/pba/...n-pba-draft-a1374-20230920?ref=feed_1_section
"Definitely a factor," Guiao said when asked if the Fil-foreign prospects had bumped off Rivero and Co. from the top of the teams' shopping list.
As for his team, Guiao said Rain or Shine had little interest in Rivero, Jimenez and Yu since its wings and backcourt are loaded with talent - the reason the Elasto Painters went for
big men Luis Villegas and Keith Datu.
Another veteran PBA coach said the Draft Combine, a pre-draft showcase that was supposed to help rookie hopefuls boost their stock, ended up working against Rivero who to him was obviously out of shape, likely because of inactivity.
"The Ricci Rivero that I saw in the Draft Combine wasn't the Rivero that I know," said the coach, who asked not to be named. "His talent is way better than that."
Amores' case was much more obvious.
One PBA coach who has seen him play both in the NCAA and the Draft Combine swore Amores "is a pretty decent player" who can make a good career in the PBA as an undersized but skilled and ultra-tough forward.
However, the coach said it will take more than a few anger management classes to convince PBA teams to take a chance on Amores since he went amok in Jose Rizal University's game against College of St. Benilde in the NCAA last year.
But if given a chance, the multi-titled coach has no doubt Amores can prove he belongs in the PBA.
"He can really play," he swore.
As for Jimenez, all the hoopla that his inspiring story has generated online, or the skills he showcased in the MPBL or in videos with Mavs Phenomenal that drew millions of views on social media, obviously didn't make much of an impact on PBA teams.
His agent, Danny Espiritu, admitted the YouTube sensation didn't work out for any team, believing that these coaches and scouts already knew him enough.
The popularity couldn't help. Oftentimes, the fame that is viewed as an asset by fans is seen as 'unwanted baggage' by some coaches.
"I guess other teams just avoided the 'popular' players who could be distractions to their teams since there are a lot of 'safer' options who could take their place," said one of the coaches who passed on the flamboyant guard.
Jimenez's style, another coach said, didn't fit some of the team's needs, saying, "the problem with such style of play is that they have to have the ball to be effective. Coaches are looking for players who can contribute, with or without the ball. Dito sila kulang."
