PBA Season 45 should have been over a month now from its opening day, and the league rookies should have all strutted their stuff as pro players by now.
But with the coronavirus pandemic getting in the way, shelved are pro debuts of all the PBA neophytes, except former FEU guard Wendell Comboy who checked in and stayed on the floor for 27 seconds in San Miguel Beer's 94-78 triumph over Magnolia in the season opener on March 8 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Comboy, second-round draft selection by Rain or Shine but left unsigned, had a clean stats line in his pro debut, failing to get any number.
The top rookies have no choice but to wait further before getting to test their mettle in pro play.
Considered freshmen to watch are Roosevelt Adams, Maurice Shaw, Mike Ayonayon, Adrian Wong, Clint Doliguez, Prince Rivero and Sean Manganti, being the top picks in the recent draft exercise.
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Isaac Go, Rey Suerte, Matt Nieto, Allyn Bulanadi and Mike Nieto made it to the Gilas draft special round. But they would be able to join their mother ball clubs in the PBA only once they're done serving the national pool.
Forty-five players in all were selected in the regular draft, but less than 20 made it to the league roster at least for the opening day.
Rain or Shine coach Caloy Garcia, who signed four rookies in Wong, Doliguez, Rivero and Vince Tolentino, pointed to Columbian's 6-5 Adams, NLEX' 6-0 Ayonayon, Magnolia's 6-5 Aris Dionisio, Blackwater's 6-4 Richard Escoto and NorthPort's 6-4 Manganti as the newbies to watch.
Others making the official league roster by opening day are Alaska's Mer Jesper Ayaay, Ginebra's Arvin Tolentino, Columbian's Christian Balagasay and Bon Bon Batiller, Magnolia's Mike Calisaan.
Keenly awaited is Adams' debut with the Dyip.
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Adams, a Fil-Am from Yuma, Arizona, played two years with the Mount San Jacinto junior college varsity then suited up two years for the College of Idaho, an NAIA Division 2 school. He averaged 8.9 points and 7.4 rebounds at Idaho in 2016-17 and 13.1 points and 6.3 rebounds in 2017-18. Last year, he was on the Mighty Sports team that won the Jones Cup in Taipei, averaging 6.0 points and 3.1 rebounds in eight contests. (SB)
