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NICK DEMUSIS, ALVIN PASAOL, SANTI SANTILLAN LEAD LATEST POOL OF PBA DRAFT PROSPECTS

Fil-Am Nick Demusis, Alvin Pasaol, Santi Santillan, and other 3x3 standouts have formally included their names in the roster of draft hopefuls in the upcoming PBA Rookie Draft.

/ 9 January 2021

The three 3×3 players bannered the new additions to the loaded pool of rookie prospects come March 14.

While the 29-year-old high-flyer Demusis will join the next wave of Fil-foreigners trying out their chance in the forthcoming Rookie Draft.

Demusis burst into the scene after the Bacoor City Strikers included him in their lineup for the 2020 Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) Lakan Cup.

The 6-foot-4 bruiser played a total of 19 games for Bacoor City and posted an average of 8.3 points on a 47-percent shooting clip, to go with 3.1 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 17.4 minutes of action.

He backed the Strikers to finish second in the South Division with their 24-6 record and made it as far as the Division Semifinals before losing to Basilan Steel-Jumbo Plastic in three heartbreaking games.

The Fil-Am forward went to Division III school Whittier College in California where he played his final two years where he averaged 18.4 points on 49-percent shooting, alongside 6.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.2 steals in his senior year back in 2015.

Demusis is the latest player to take advantage of the PBA’s relaxed rules for draft entrants in the 2021 class.

Meanwhile, the 25-year-old Pasaol is a standout from the University of the East where he is most known for his 49-point game explosion back in 2017.

The 6-foot-4 native of Davao City has played with Petron-Letran and Marinerong Pilipino in the PBA D-League before taking action to the Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3×3 League where he became the No. 2-ranked 3×3 player in the country.

Pasaol was also included in the lineup for Zamboanga Family’s Brand Sardines in the MPBL.

Moreover, the Cebuano Santillan was known as one of the most hardworking forwards in the crop, as evidenced by his play for the University of the Visayas and La Salle.

Together with Pasaol, the 25-years-old Santillan also suited up for Marinerong Pilipino in the PBA D-League and Zamboanga in the MPBL, before making a name for himself in the halfcourt game, ranking No. 6 in the country.

Aside from these names, Anton Asistio of Ateneo, Tyrus Hill of La Salle, Jed Mendoza of Jose Rizal University/UE, Joshua Torralba of EAC/La Salle, and Carl Ravanes, son of longtime San Miguel assistant Biboy Ravanes also submitted their applications for the draft after the first week of 2021.

Furthermore, other Fil-foreigners who will be joining Demusis in the pool are Troy Rike, Franky Johnson, Jamie Malonzo, Joshua Munzon, Jason Brickman, Jerrick Ahanmisi, Jeremiah Gray, Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser, Jordan Heading, Tyrus Hill, and James Laput.

The 6-foot-8 center Rike was a former Gilas cadet from Wake Forest and National University and played for AMA in the PBA D-League, currently, he is ranked No. 5 in 3×3 in the Philippines.

The 6-foot-2 guard Johnson was part of Gamboa Coffee Mix, Marinerong Pilipino, and AMA in the developmental ranks. He ranked eighth in 3×3 in the country.

However, Fil-foreign applicants must first secure documents from the Department of Justice and the Bureau of Immigration proving their Filipino citizenship before the January 27 deadline.