This weekend the Philippine Basketball Association will welcome its new generation of stars in their annual rookie draft. Rain or Shine (formerly the Welcoat Dragons) owns the Number 1 pick followed by Talk N Text and Magnolia Beverages. Completing the drafting order are Talk N Text again at Number 4, the Alaska Aces at Number 6, the Air21 Express, runner-ups in the recently concluded Fiesta Cup at Number 6, the Purefoods Giants at Number 7, Air21 again at Number 8, newly crowned Fiesta Cup Champion Barangay Ginebra at Number 9 and Sta. Lucia Realty bringing up the rear at Number 10.

Here are some of the better-known players expected to get picked early in no particular order:

Gabe Norwood, 6’5” 190 pounds, Guard: Was a valuable rotation player on the George Mason team that went to the US NCAA Final 4 a couple years ago, plays both guard positions but seems to be more comfortable at the point position, very athletic, reigning PBL slam dunk champion, can hit the long jumper, slashes very well, was a fixture on the RP Men’s Team, defense is above-average but far from being a stopper, couldn’t win anything for Hapee Toothpaste in the PBL in spite of his talent and skill, can be a fulltime PBA pointguard with the right team

Jason Castro, 5’10” 155 pounds, Guard: Three-time PBL most valuable player, the only one to have an MVP grand slam, led Harbour Centre to three straight PBL conference titles, had an aborted run to Australia’s National Basketball League via a guaranteed contract with the Singapore Slingers but the team declared bankruptcy and disbanded, knows how to make players around him better, was a sidekick to Air 21’s Gabby Espinas at Philippine Christian University, developed into a star on his own terms and through sheer hard work, not really a pointguard not really an off-guard, just a superb backcourt player

Jared Dillinger, 6’5” 200 pounds, Forward: Bit of a mystery man, played with the Pampanga Buddies in Liga Pilipinas, is a Liga fan favorite but has had mixed reviews as a basketball player from scouts and coaches, some of them love his potential and upside, size and versatility, some question whether or not he even has a fulltime position, never mind whether or not he is actually ready for the PBA, impressed well enough in the PBA Rookie Camp held at EAC Gym with his ability to handle and distribute as well as his medium-range jumpshot

Mark Borboran, 6’5” 190 pounds, Forward: Star-crossed since his controversial and rumor-tainted choke job in the 2007 UAAP Finals, still is one of the most complete players in the country with his combination of height, length, strength, footwork, superb athleticism and shooting range, was the second best player after Norwood with Hapee Toothpaste, a bit of a matador on defense and will have to get used to going up against bigger and stronger players at his position in the PBA, won’t be getting any of the easy ones he got used to in the amateur ranks

Solomon Mercado, 6’0” 175 pounds, Pointguard: Dynamic pointguard prospect who also grew up playing running back in football in the States, tough, compact and strong built, a lot bigger and a lot stronger than most players at his position even in the PBA, whip-quick slasher, able distributor and handler, not necessarily a prototypical point guard though, needs to work on his outside shot to keep defenses honest, will find the going a little rough in the pro ranks

Rob Reyes, 6’6” 225 pounds, Center-Forward: A Fil-Am returnee who once played for Harbour Centre a couple PBL seasons ago, has a big strong body and long arms, battles inside and goes after every rebound, not much in terms of shot blocks but is a physical defender on either box, had some memorable match ups against current Rain or Shine big man Joe Devance in the PBL, will help any team immediately with his size, has some decent low post moves but needs a signature move to hang his hat on, should match up well versus PBA bigs

Jeff Chan, 6’3” 180 pounds, Swingman: Superb outside shooter who works hard on other facets of his game, once upon a time was just a catch and shoot guy, now he can put it on the floor and create his own opportunities, still not much of a handler and slasher though, skills in high demand at his position in the PBA, also not much of a defender, might give up as many points as he scores, could go the way of other FEU gun slingers who are barely hanging on in the PBA if he doesn’t develop other aspects of swingman play

Jonathan Fernandez, 6’2” 175 pounds, Off-guard: Streaky shooter who can get on a roll and heat up real quick, underrated defender but often seems disinterested and couldn’t care less about guarding his man, underrated handler and passer but does neither often enough to please any body, valued strictly for his trigger, can create his own shots or off a play or off a pass, deadly from anywhere within 30 feet of the basket, the right coach with tons of patience might turn him into a fulltime PBA star

Chito Jaime, 6’5” 200 pounds, Power Forward: Could be the sleeper of the draft, small-town kid who burst onto the big city basketball scene by leading AMA Computer to the NAASCU Season 6 championship, was named the PBL most improved player in the last conference, has above-average skills across the board, can nail the three-pointer as easily as he can dunk, splits the post masterfully even against bigger and stronger players, could surprise people who take him for granted in the pros

Pong Escobal, 6’0” 175 pounds, Pointguard: Star pointguard who intrigues a lot of PBA teams, brings good size and an above-average to superior all around game from the 1 and 2 spots, has superb range on his jumpshot and has made a career in the NCAA as a clutch shooter, also a fan favorite who should bring a lot of media and marketing value to any team he latches on to, questions persist about his stamina and defense, often huffing and puffing trying to keep up with better athletes, knows how to run a team though and isn’t bashful about getting in anyone’s face

Here is the partial list of applicants for the August 31 draft: