MANILA, Philippines – The belief that RJ Abarrientos could end up having the same prolific career as his legendary uncle prompted Barangay Ginebra to pick the sweet-shooting guard in the PBA Rookie Draft on Sunday, July 14.
Head coach Tim Cone sees a bright future ahead of Abarrientos as the Gin Kings used the No. 3 pick on the former FEU star instead of going for size with the likes of Kai Ballungay, Caelan Tiongson, and Jonnel Policarpio still available.
Originally set to pick at No. 10, Ginebra moved up in the draft after a blockbuster trade that saw it deal MVP contender Christian Standhardinger and former scoring champion Stanley Pringle to Terrafirma.
The Gin Kings considered beefing up their frontline to offset the departure of Standhardinger, but they ultimately decided to select Abarrientos, whose uncle Johnny – a former PBA MVP – also got mentored by Cone in Alaska.
“After trading Christian, we were concerned about our size and [thought about going] for a bigger player. We had like four guys that we were all debating over,” said Cone.
“But it just came down to the fact that we just felt that RJ is just a really unique player like his uncle Johnny and he’s going to be an elite player in his position.”
“When it’s all over, he may be one of the best point guards of all-time. That’s what we think that may happen so we just couldn’t pass on him. Even though we really wanted the size of the other players, we couldn’t pass on RJ.”
Abarrientos, a former Gilas Pilipinas guard, turned professional overseas after just one season in the UAAP seniors level.
He starred for the Ulsan Hyundai Mobis Phoebus in the Korean Basketball League, even earning Rookie of the Year honors, before he took his act to the Japan B. League, where he suited up for the Shinshu Brave Warriors.
Selecting Abarrientos felt like a full circle moment for Cone as he and the now-defunct Aces also picked Johnny at third overall in the 1993 draft.
In that draft, big men Jun Limpot and Vic Pablo went 1-2 before Alaska chose the older Abarrientos, who led the franchise to nine championships, including a rare Grand Slam in 1996.
“We even wanted Vic Pablo and Jun Limpot, but we got Johnny, and lo and behold. That is the experience that I had with Johnny and I don’t want to pass on this experience with RJ as the No. 3 pick as well,” said Cone.
“But there were some really strong players in this draft who are really going to be great players in the PBA. We just think RJ may be elite.”
While there were other talented guards in the draft pool, Abarrientos stood out for Cone.
“RJ is in a class by himself, that’s what we feel. ” Cone said. “We’ll have to see as we go forward. We’ll know more in two or three years from now.” – Rappler.com
