Entering the draft, all the teams have their eyes on the sure-fire first round picks.
There’s the troika of Bobby Ray Parks Jr., Robert Bolick, and CJ Perez. There’s the middle-tier guys like Paul Desiderio, Bong Quinto, Javee Mocon, Trevis Jackson, Michael Calisaan, and J-Jay Alejandro.
But the PBA Draft Combine is where rough diamonds shine. And on Thursday, it was JP Calvo.
The 5-foot-8 floor general from Letran scintillated in the finale of the two-day event, torching the Michael Calisaan-led A-3 and leading A-2 to the championship, 76-64.
Calvo was the sparkplug for A-2 ,scoring 11 points in the opening frame alone. The native of Silay City ended up with 23 big points to win the Most Valuable Player plum of the tourney.
“Actually hindi ko expect yun eh. Siguro yun nga, binigay sa talaga sa akin ni Lord ito. Talagang nag-prepare ako sa Draft na ito,” shared the 21-year-old point guard.
“Kaya maganda ginawa ko dahil dito.”
Given his performance, the off-the-radar prospect hopes that he gained the attention of the scouts present inside the Gatorade Hoops Center in Mandaluyong City.
“Siyempre, importante ito sa akin dahil maliit ako.
“So kailangan ko magpakita. Ginawa ko lang yung advantage ko para makaangat sa kalaban ko,” expressed Calvo, who averaged 13.8 points and 4.9 assists in his final year with the Knights.
Heading into Sunday’s Draft, Calvo – who admitted that he has low expectations of the festivity for PBA freshmen – has gained a boost. He knows that he has already done his part to make a name for himself.
“Malaking bagay ito dahil sa Sunday draft na. Baka sakali madala ako sa PBA nitong confidence na ito. Kaya ko naman pala.”
