Sonny Estil flew under the radar of Ginebra, but everything changed because of the PBA Season 50 Draft Combine — much to his delight, of course.
Head coach Tim Cone himself admitted as much after the Kings picked the relatively unknown cager during the first round of the selection proceedings on Sunday in a move that left many fans and observers alike pleasantly surprised.
“He wasn’t even on our radar until we saw him in the Combine,” he disclosed to members of the press during the event held at the SM Mall of Asia Music Hall.
Cone couldn’t make it to the two-day showcase among aspirants at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig to attend his son’s wedding in the States, but he was well aware of Estil’s performances, especially in the mini-tournament.
The Agusan del Sur-native was part of Team A2-Ginebra during the Combine, in which the team was mentored by Kings assistant coach Olsen Racela.
Estil would go on to lead his side to the top of the contest, nailing the game-winner to lift themselves past Team D1-San Miguel in the Final, 37-35.
“They were sending me videos, so I was watching our videos of the games from the Combine, and I really liked this kid,” Cone said.
And finding out that he won Combine MVP honors made the league’s winningest mentor all the more convinced that they’re going with him.
“Then when I flew back here, I arrived in the morning, and I looked up in the news and I found out that he won the MVP,” he said with a smile.
Of course, there was some worry on their side that they may not be able to get Estil given his solid Combine. But Ginebra felt relief that he remained available when it was the team’s turn to pick at No.10 overall.
“At that point, we thought that maybe we can’t get him anymore, because someone might pick him early ’cause he won the MVP, he got the attention,” said Cone. “But we just think he’s a kid who has a lot of potential.
“He’s athletic. He runs the floor well. He gets to the basket well; he has good size for his position which is important,” added the 67-year-old bench strategist.
Cone couldn’t help but feel excited about what the future holds for Estil, who spent some time in the PSL and in the MPBL before joining the draft.
“It’s a great story — a guy coming from nowhere and ending up being a first-round pick of Ginebra. I hope he ends up with a happy ending,” he said. “I hope he earns his spot and becomes a really good player for us.
“That’ll be a great story.”
Estil was one of only two players Ginebra picked in the recent draft, the other being Mario Barasi, whom it selected at 13th overall.
Listed at 6-foot-8, the former Adamson University big man turned some heads during the Combine, and among them were the Ginebra coaches.
“We liked him in the pick-and-roll situation, the way he gets down and seals around the basket off the pick-and-rolls,” Cone said. “We had a couple of other big men in mind; we felt that the others might have been a better post-up player.
“We really liked the way he screens and rolls. Certain things he did that kind of impressed us, we felt we could work with and develop.”
#WATCH: “I REALLY LIKE THIS KID”
Tim Cone sees big potential in Sonny Estil—here’s why Ginebra picked him 🏀
📹 @justinebacnis /Tiebreaker Times#PBADraft pic.twitter.com/7VcCrqP4Qa
— Tiebreaker Times (@tiebreakertimes) September 7, 2025
