The Philippine Basketball Association will hold the 2015 Gatorade Draft Combine today and Thursday at the Hoops Center along Shaw Boulevard in Mandaluyong City.
Scheduled from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., the two-day activity gives coaches of the 12 PBA teams a chance to size up the rookie hopefuls they intend to select in Sunday’s Rookie Draft.
On Day 1, the 64 applicants will be divided into two batches for the morning and afternoon half-day sessions.
Activities include all sports test such as Anthropometry (includes basic measurement like height, weight and arm span), Functional Movement Screen (identifies movement patterns, limitations, tightness, muscle weaknesses that can reduce mobility of an athlete affecting his physical conditioning), Single Leg Hop Test (identifies injury risk of an athlete) and Performance Test (measures skills such as agility, speed, endurance and strength).
Day 2 will feature a mini-tournament with the players divided into eight teams. PBA assistant coaches have been invited to call the shots for the teams. The team that will emerge champion at the end of the tournament stands to get R50,000.
“This undertaking is a must for all applicants so I hope everyone will be there. For the coaches, this gives them the chance to assess their prospects for Sunday’s Draft,” said PBA commissioner Chito Narvasa.
A draft applicant who fails to attend the mandatory activity risks being dropped from the final list of candidates for the 2015 PBA Rookie Draft.