A few days after being gunned down in Bacolod City, Manuel "Maui" Huelar is still being remembered by coaches, players and even some PBA personalities as he had his PBA connection, being a member of the 2004 PBA Draft Class.
The former University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R) player, with a tragic passing Thursday, was among the picks of the FedEx Express team in one of the most exciting, deep PBA draft exercises, featuring future stars, national players and achievers led by two-time MVP awardee James Yap.
Huelar, a 5-foot-11 guard who strutted his stuff in the PABL and in the MBA, was selected by FedEx in the third round at No. 21 overall.
But the country's premier pro league proved too tough to crack for Huelar while having to slug it out with Wynne Arboleda and Egay Billones for backcourt roster spot at FedEx.
The 2004 draft came back to mind early on as Ranidel de Ocampo called it quits after playing 15 seasons in a stellar PBA career.
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With De Ocampo hanging his sneakers, Yap, Marc Pingris and Sonny Thoss are the three remaining gems from the talented 2004 pool.
From their golden run in the Southeast Asian Games in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam the previous year, the main men of the Aric del Rosario-mentored national quintet bannered the cast that included De Ocampo who was selected at No. 4
Two-time UAAP MVP awardee Rich Alvarez was the No. 1 draft selection by Shell and won the Rookie of the Year honors but it's No. 2 pick Yap who soared to great heights with his two MVP plums and championships collection, including a grand slam with San Mig Coffee in 2013-14.
Then there were De Ocampo, No. 3 pick Pingris, No. 5 Thoss and No. 10 Gary David with their own admirable pro careers and valuable contributions as national players.
Other first-rounders making their presence felt in the pro league were Denver Lopez (No. 6 by Red Bull), Ervin Sotto (No. 7 by Purefoods), Nelbert Omolon (No. 8 by Sta. Lucia Realty) and Wesley Gonzales (No. 9 by FedEx).
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From this list, no less than six gained Mythical Team selection - Yap, Pingris, De Ocampo, Thoss, Omolon and David.
Other 2004 class members carving pro careers were Paul Artadi, Carlo Sharma, Nino Gelig, Willy Wilson, Warren Ybanez and Nino Marquez. (SB)
