No doubt that Geo Chiu and his family, especially his mom Geraldine, made the best decision.
From barely beating the deadline for submission of applications, the highly touted big man became the face of the league’s golden class after being selected first overall by Terrafirma during the PBA Season 50 Draft on Sunday.
Even he couldn’t believe that this is now his reality.
“Siyempre, medyo nagulat pa rin,” he said Sunday at the SM Mall of Asia Music Hall.
“Like, you know, with all the speculations, nothing’s sure naman. ‘Di pa rin ako maka-get over. Mahirap paniwalaan na first ka, ‘di ba?
“But nonetheless, very grateful for this,” the soft-spoken Atenean added.
There was a lot of speculation as to who the Dyip would pick at No.1, especially when Chiu threw his name in the hat last August 29, the date set by the league as the last day for applicants to submit their papers for the Draft.
He himself said in a previous interview that he and his family took the time to assess if joining the PBA would be the best next move for his career — the reason why he only turned in the necessary documents on the deadline itself.
Before declaring himself eligible, fans and observers were looking at names such as Juan Gomez de Liano and the seasoned Jason Brickman as the potential top picks for what many consider a top-heavy batch.
All that changed, though, when Chiu decided that it was time to make the jump. The crop of Season 50 aspirants was a tad thin on quality bigs — then he came in and was later on confirmed as the tallest of the Draft at 6-foot-9.
Some mock drafts — including Tiebreaker Times’ own — projected him to be chosen first, as he could provide much-needed size upfront for a Terrafirma side that has seen a revival after talks of a sale bogged down.
Fast forward to Sunday evening, and Chiu became the no. 1 pick, leaving him immensely grateful — and excited at the same time to buckle down to work with a team that’s hoping to be competitive under new coach Ronald Tubid.
That may have to wait since he will still have to fulfill his obligations with the Abra Weavers in the MPBL, but the former overseas import is nonetheless looking forward to what the future holds for him with the Dyip.
“You know, entering a team that’s something you wanna do: you wanna help the team and hopefully get some more wins,” he said. “But siyempre, it also depends sa samahan namin ng mga teammates namin.
“Hopefully, as the season passes by, the more games we play, hopefully we build more chemistry. Hopefully, it will help us get more wins,” he added.
“I’m super grateful to my team for believing and choosing me as their first pick.”
#WATCH: “VERY GRATEFUL FOR THIS”
Geo Chiu hopes to be the game-changer Terrafirma needs 🏀
📹 @justinebacnis /Tiebreaker Times#PBADraft pic.twitter.com/EjDB3L1Ftc
— Tiebreaker Times (@tiebreakertimes) September 7, 2025
