In the 2009 – 2020 PBA draft held on the first weekend of August at The Fort, there were a lot of expected moves consummated, as well as a few surprises. In other words, it was pretty much business as usual in the never-expect-anything world of Philippine basketball.

Japeth Aguilar, the 6-foot-10 225-pound son of former PBA and national team player Peter Aguilar, went as expected with the Number 1 overall pick to Burger King. Aguilar, a one-time Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagle, spent the last couple of years in the United States playing for Western Kentucky University. WKU is considered one of those mid-major schools of the US NCAA Division 1. One of Aguilar’s teammates and their team’s superstar, 6-foot-5 guard Courtney Lee, saw action in the 2009 NBA Finals for the Orlando Magic. Now it is Aguilar’s turn to strut his wares in the pros.

“I’ll do my best to live up to expectations because I know it is a tougher league, and this is a different level now,” said Aguilar in the media availability session after the draft proceedings. Aguilar is a freakish athlete with incredible springs and speed. He is able to leap many times high into the air in a single sequence, and his timing on defense and rebounding are above average to superior.

Burger King and Powerade Team Pilipinas head coach Yeng Guiao is very excited to have Aguilar onboard. He had already indicated several weeks prior to the draft that they would be picking the former Blue Eagle. Guiao had a chance to see Aguilar’s game even better when the lanky forward-center joined the Powerade Team Pilipinas squad in the FIBA Asia Qualifiers in China. In that tournament, Aguilar was inconsistent with his overall game. Whatever brilliance he displayed though, especially his dunking display during that breakout game versus Kazakhstan, was enough to cement the deal for Guiao. “We know he is raw, but we can also see his potential, and I think he did Ok even against bigger and stronger opponents in the FIBA,” said Guiao. “We just stuck to our plan for draft day and now we are looking to win the All Filipino title,” he added. Guiao has never won the All Filipino title. All his PBA championships as a coach came in import-reinforced conferences.

Rico Maierhofer was picked second overall by Purefoods Tender Juicy Hotdogs. This was another expected pick as Aguilar and Maierhofer were both tabbed to go one and two in this draft. It was just a choice between the two. Maierhofer’s game and skill set are pretty similar to Aguilar’s. Both are tall, long-limbed and versatile frontcourt types with superior athleticism. Both started out as nothing but tall runners and jumpers and eventually worked on their overall games. “I’m just thankful for the opportunity to be drafted, and of course I’ll give my best to show that I deserve it,” he said. He decided not to play his fifth and final year of eligibility in the UAAP to apply for the draft.

Coming out of the famed Lasalle program, the wiry 6-foot-5 Maierhofer should be good and ready to contribute immediately on defense and off the boards. Any production he gives on the scoring end would be a bonus for the Tender Juicy Giants in his rookie season. He can now hit the three-point shot, but his game is more about hanging around in the lane and moving constantly within about 15 feet of the basket looking for the loose balls and picking up second or third opportunities for his team. “He’ll provide some rebounding and some blocks I’m sure, plus he can play a bit of the 3 and 4 for us,” said Purefoods head coach Ryan Gregorio.

Burger King also owned the third overall pick and used that to draft Filipino-American pointguard Chris Ross. Ross, out of Marshall University in Texas, is a 6-foot-1 pointguard who was named most valuable player in the last PBL conference. He led the underrated Pharex Generix to the PBL Finals where they gave multi-titled Oracle Residences (formerly Harbour Centre) all they could handle in an epic five-game struggle. Ross was promptly released along with guard Marvin Cruz on draft day, and the two are reportedly headed to the Coca Cola Tigers of head coach Kenneth Duremdes. Coke for its part released hotshot swingman Ronjay Buenafe to the Whopper Kings. Burger King also released rugged forward Larry Rodriguez to Coke without a clear trade announced as of this writing.

Former UAAP most valuable player Jervy Cruz was selected fourth overall by Rain Or Shine. Cruz, the 6-foot-4 former Santo Tomas superstar, will find the goings in the PBA a whole lot tougher than what he was accustomed to in college or even the PBL. He’s played strictly as a 5 and maybe a bit as a 4 all his college and PBL career. As strong and as excellent as his footwork and instincts might be, there is no way he is doing that in the modern PBA. He will have to find a way to expand his floor game as well as his shooting range to covert to a 4/3 type in the pros. “Jervy has pretty good range, I always see him making three-pointers in practice, but of course there was no way his coach would let him do that in a real game,” said one UST team insider. “Now that he is in the PBA perhaps he will have more freedom to shoot from the outside and show every one that he can be a legit PBA player,” he added.

Alaska Milk surprised a lot of people by picking Michael Burtscher fifth overall, a 6-foot-6 swingman who never really made any noise as a journeyman amateur. Burtscher, of Filipino-Swiss lineage, has made the rounds of the PBL. Before that he was on the San Beda B Team that included Pong Escobal and Samuel Ekwe. His biggest issue will be deciding whether he is a guard or a forward. At his height he can easily play the 3 and 4 spots. He’s built well enough with broad shoulders and a wide back, and he isn’t shy about battling in the low blocks. He also has a decent outside shot and the ability to put the ball on the floor and create with his dribble and his passing. How he will fit into the rather rigid and arcane triangle offense so beloved of head coach Tim Cone is anybody’s guess. To his credit he measured in just behind Aguilar in the vertical leap, and was the fastest frontcourt player in the sprints during the rookie draft camp.

Barako Bull (formerly Red Bull Barako) reeled in 6-foot-2 swingman Rogemar “Ogie” Menor with the sixth overall pick. Menor decided not to play in his fifth and final year with defending NCAA champion San Beda to join the draft, a lot like Maierhofer. Both players reportedly have the same agent. Menor is best known for being the NCAA Finals most valuable player when the Red Lions completed their grand slam campaign last year, winning their third straight NCAA title. He can score from virtually anywhere, has an attack mentality every time he is on the court, and has shown incredible moxie throughout his entire basketball career. His defense however might not be up to PBA standards, and is something he will definitely have to work on.

Another surprise in the first round was Ginebra going with 5-foot-11 Filipino-American pointguard Chris “Justin” Timberlake with the seventh overall pick. Timberlake, much like Burtscher, did not make too much noise as an amateur baller. He was uninspiring as a sixth man / part-time starter for Toyota Otis, and was perhaps just a key rotation guy in the Oracle Residences backcourt roster in his last PBL tour of duty. Ginebra however still has reigning PBA most valuable player Jay Helterbrand as well as Chico Lanete, another former Harbour Centre guard, as well as underrated Chris Pacana, and will probably not expect much from Timberlake in his rookie season. Timberlake should look at this as an opportunity to ease himself slowly but steadily into the PBA game.

Burger King used their third and last pick in the first round to bring in Ronnie Matias, a 6-foot-4 multi-skilled type who could take a shot at playing up to three pro positions. Matias helped Ross bring the Pharex Generix into the last PBL Finals. He played mostly forward as an amateur but has shown enough of a floor game and a willingness to pass and break out in transition to maybe take a crack at seeing action in a PBA backcourt. His defense is pretty underrated and he is tough as nails, having made the rounds of the hardcore hoop circuits. Matias might be the surprise of this draft, much like Buenafe in his rookie season.

Rounding out the first round selection was San Miguel Beer. Burly 6-foot-5 center-forward James Sena was taken with the ninth and last pick of the first round by the newly crowned Fiesta Conference champions. He might find his career going the way of Ken Bono’s, a guy recently released by the Beer Men. He will have at least two battle-tested veterans ahead of him on the San Miguel depth chart: 6-foot-6 two-time PBA MVP Danny Ildefonso, and strapping 6-foot-8 Filipino-American Dorian Pena. Getting his minutes will definitely be a challenge for the reigning King Bomber out of Jose Rizal University.

Among these first-round picks it looks like only Maierhofer and Aguilar might see significant minutes as rookies. Getting picked 1 and 2 almost guarantees it. PBA teams are not about to spend millions on these two only to keep them on the shelf. The first two picks in the PBA draft could easily be looking at eight figures over three years guaranteed. That is not the kind of money a PBA team would spend just to keep a player in the doghouse. Ross, if he finally does sign with Coke, might also be looking at this kind of a situation.

There were only nine first-round picks since Shell disbanded and they would have had the second overall pick for this year. The rest of the Draft went as follows: Mark Benitez, Benedict Fernandez, and Edwin Asoro all going to Barako Bull from Numbers 10 to 12; Francis Allera to Coca Cola at Number 13; Marcy Arellano to Rain or Shine at Number 14; Sean Co to the Alaska Aces at Number 15; Charles Waters to Sta. Lucia Realty at Number 16; Orlando Daroya to Barangay Ginebra at Number 17; Kevin White, a nephew of Jimmy Alapag to Talk N Text as a probable nepotism pick at Number 18; and former Lasalle center-forward PJ Walsham to San Miguel Beer at Number 19.

Apparently only the first-round draft picks are assured of getting contracts in accordance with PBA rules and regulations. All of the second-round picks still have to play and fight for a roster spot on the teams that drafted them. Former FEU star guard Benedict Fernandez and former Arellano University one-man-gang Orlando Daroya might have the best chances of landing roster spots among the second-rounders. Fernandez, at 6-foot-1 and 180 pounds, has the size, the handles and the trigger that PBA teams covet at that hard-to-fill combo-guard spot. He can be both a legit 1 in a taller lineup and a legit 2 in a smallish lineup. Daroya, the stone-built 6-foot-3 190-pound forward, has the range and the shutdown mentality on defense to stay with anybody at the swing spots, and even at both forward spots. He plays bigger than his actual size and his ability to hit the long ball off a pass or off his own dribble is a plus.

All of the other second-round picks will have their work cut out for them in the highly competitive modern PBA. Benitez and Asoro might also have better-than-even chances at making PBA rosters. They will have to prove though that they have more game than they showed in the UAAP and the PBL. Benitez, a former RP Youth Team player, and Asoro, the last great National University superstar, have to dig deep to show Barako Bull head coach Leo Isaac that they have a place in the pros.

(A major trade has since been consummated the day right after Draft Day among Barangay Ginebra, Purefoods and Burger King, involving 10 players including at least two key draft picks already mentioned above).