By JONAS TERRADO
Former Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3×3 stars Alvin Pasaol, Santi Santillan, Troy Rike and Franky Johnson became the latest players to apply for the PBA Rookie Draft slated March 14.
The PBA announced that the four were among the list of players who submitted their names for the annual proceedings Friday, bringing the total number of applicants to 27.
Also joining the draft is Tyrus Hill, who opted to skip his final playing year with La Salle in the UAAP.
Pasaol is the most prominent name from the recent batch of applicants, first carving his name in the UAAP with University of the East before suiting up for Petron-Letran in the PBA D-League and for Bataan and Zamboanga in the MPBL.
He became a major fixture on the 3×3 scene where he starred in the fledgling Chooks league and several FIBA 3×3 competitions overseas.
Prior to submitting his application, Pasaol was the country’s No. 2 3×3 player behind Joshua Munzon.
Santillan played for La Salle in the UAAP and Marinerong Pilipino in the PBA D-League before also making a name with the Chooks 3×3 league.
Rike had a one-year UAAP stint with National University followed by a D-League campaign with AMA in 2019 before entering the 3×3 circuit.
Johnson also starred in the Chooks 3×3 but had previous D-League experiences playing for AMA, Marinerong Pilipino and Gamboa Coffee Mix.
Jason Brickman was among the early birds for the draft, with the league setting a Jan. 27 deadline for aspiring players.