After being ruled out of joining the 2015 Philippine Basketball Association Rookie Draft, Racal Tile Masters starting forward Jonathan Grey will vie for another chance to elevate his game to the professional level by declaring himself eligible in this year’s draft edition.
The former College of St. Benilde star’s draft application was voided last year after failing to comply with the league’s requirements for aspirants, which is mandatory participation in the PBA Developmental League for a minimum of seven games.
Grey was actually picked by the Cagayan Valley Rising Suns in last year’s PBA D-League Draft, but he never saw action for the franchise. Moreover, he was also unable to participate in the Draft Combine last year.
With the incident already a thing of the past, Grey finally spoke about the reason why he was not able to suit up for the Rising Suns and fulfil his D-League obligations, saying that he had prioritized his academics first before anything else.
“Hindi ako nakalaro sa D-League kasi nagka-conflict sa mga subjects ko sa Benilde,” the Laguna-native admitted.
“Promise ko rin sa mommy ko na kailangan maka-graduate ako before ko gawin yung gusto ko, so talagang pinrioritize ko yung pag-aaral.”
However, Grey’s draft ineligibility trouble as far as staying in shape is concerned, as he was still able to play competitive basketball – whilst overcoming an injury — in the amateur level.
“Actually after nung season ko sa NCAA, naglaro kaagad ako ng PCBL (Pilipinas Commercial Basketball League) sa Kama Motors. Pero na-injured ako nun, broken finger. Nabakante ako ng one month, pero maganda naman rehab ko. So mga January-February, nakabalik ako dito na sa D-League,” shared the 2015 NCAA All-Star Game MVP, who played all of his five years for CSB.
Now that conflicts have been resolved and requirements are met, Grey has now decided to try his luck again in the PBA by applying in this year’s Rookie Draft.
“Yun yung dream ko bata pa lang ako [joining the PBA],” Grey said.
“And siguro, right timing. Sakto naman lahat ngayon, so para sa’kin ito na ‘yung tamang chance na maka-enter ako ng PBA.”
When asked which of the ten PBA franchises would he wish to play for, Grey responded by saying that he can play with whichever team picks him. “Lahat ng teams, okay naman eh. Kahit saan mapunta okay lang,” he stated.
Tile Masters’ head coach Caloy Garcia spoke highly of his prized wingman, claiming that Grey has enough tools to make it in the big league.
“He’s very ripe na for the PBA. He’s a talented offensive player. He can attack the basket strong; very athletic, can shoot from the outside, [and] can dribble the ball.”
“So I project that he’ll be in the first round — a late first-rounder,” said Garcia.
Garcia, when asked which team will be suitable for Grey, thinks that Grey’s skill set will be further harnessed if the six-foot-four guard/forward will be able to go to teams with a free-flowing offense.
“Kailangan kay Jonathan, he has to be in a team na may pagka-free-flowing, in the likes of Talk ‘N Text or kahit sa’min sa Rain Or Shine. Or, teams that use the dribble-drive like Phoenix. He’s more of an open-court type of player, so doon [teams mentioned] siya magfi-fit,” Rain or Shine’s assistant coach explained.
Even if he has made his intentions clear for a huge career move, Grey still has one ultimate goal before jumping into the professional ranks, and that is capping off his amateur stint with the golden hardware in his and his team’s arms.
“Mag-champion. ‘Yan yung ultimate goal ko. Nakita mo naman ‘yung team namin, malakas din naman.”
“Masaya kami lahat sa sistema ni Coach Caloy. So sana ma-accomplish namin ‘yung goal na ‘yun,” he concluded.
