When the clocked started ticking for the Northport Batang Pier to make the 41st overall pick in the 2018 PBA Draft, head coach and all-around funny guy Pido Jarencio tasked Stanley Pringle to make the announcement.
“Northport Batang Pier! Kukunin namin si John Ragasa,” declared the four-time All-Star.
A little-known talent, the crowd inside the Robinson’s Place Malate was silent. But as he walked out of the curtains, the fans burst into laughter.
The 6-foot guard looked like Pringle because of the beard he was sporting.
“Really? It must be the beard. But he has a baby beard, I got a big beard,” quipped the light-hearted, Britain-born cager.
The 27-year-old guard admitted that he did not hear the cheers, as he was too caught up with the moment.
“No! I was just shookt. I thought I wasn’t going to get picked and that’s a blessing,” quipped Ragasa, who played for Team Batangas in the D-League.
“I was shookt, brother.”
For him, it’s just a huge honor to be drafted. But now the real work begins, as he tries to fight for a spot in a loaded Northport backcourt.
And he is ready to take on the challenge head-on.
“Being the last pick in the draft? It was crazy man! I thought that I was gonna go undrafted. Yes, it’s surreal. It’s amazing and a good feeling to be drafted,” he expressed.
“But as cliche as it sounds, I’d give the team some added defense. Of course, each team has go-to guys. I think I know my role, I know what my role should be, which is in the defensive end. But if I need to score, I’ll score.”
