Since the 2010s, there has always been at least one dreamer who enters their name into the PBA Draft just to check off a bucket list item.
Who could forget Kobe Caluya back in 2016, the oldest applicant ever at 43 years old?
Then, a year later, there was the towering Christian Geronimo, who even tried out for the Philippine men’s 3×3 basketball team after going undrafted.
This year is no different.
The oldest applicant among them is Marko Villorante.
Villorante, a 39-year-old recreational league player from Dasmarinas, Cavite, admitted he joined the two-day Draft Combine purely for the thrill.
“Gusto ko lang ma-experience kung ano ang pakiramdam dito at ang sistema,” he told One Sports.
“Masaya naman at nakakasabay pa.”
Villorante’s story is about fulfilling unfinished business.
Just five years ago, he earned his aeronautics degree from the Philippine State College of Aeronautics.
But after completing his degree, he wanted one shot at his dream — making it to the PBA.
During the two-day combine, the 5-foot-6 dreamer participated in the biometric tests, recording a 442-millisecond reaction time, a 3.94-second sprint, and a 19.45-second lane agility time.
All were below par compared to the competition.
Most likely, Villorante will not make the final draft list for Sunday’s event.
Nevertheless, the experience is something he will cherish for the rest of his life.
As his favorite team’s mantra says, ‘never say die.’
