Barangay Ginebra San Miguel head coach Tim Cone described rookie selections Sonny Estil and Mario Barasi Jr. as valuable additions as the team gears up for the PBA Season 50 next month.
Estil, who was named MVP during the two-day Draft Combine, is expected to provide athleticism and versatility following the departure of Jamie Malonzo to the Japan B.League’s Kyoto Hannaryz.
“We feel Sonny has a high upside, one of the highest in the draft because of his athleticism and size for his position,” Cone said in a text message to Fastbreak on Sunday night.
The 6-foot-3 former Colegio de San Juan de Letran Knights standout was selected 11th overall by the Gin Kings in the PBA Season 50 Rookie Draft held at the SM Mall of Asia Music Hall in Pasay City.
Cone also underscored the importance of adding more size to Ginebra’s frontline, which factored into their decision to select 6-foot-7 Barasi with the 13th pick.
“We need to keep stockpiling bigs, and at 13, we had our choice (except for Geo Chiu) of the bigs on the draft board and chose Mario,” Cone said. “We like his ability to roll off pick and rolls and seal around the basket.”
If Barasi cracks the Gin Kings’ active roster, he is expected to join a frontcourt rotation that already features Japeth Aguilar, Jeth Troy Rosario, Norbert Torres, Benedict Adamos, and Raymond Aguilar.
