Smart Gilas Pilipinas cagers Lutz, Lassiter lead list of hopefuls for 2011 PBA Draft

The upcoming 2011 PBA draft is expected to be one full of diamonds in the rough headed by Smart-Gilas Pilipinas stalwarts Marcio Lassiter and Chris Lutz, who lead the first batch of applicants even as the PBA Commissioner’s Office has set Aug. 18 as the deadline for both homegrown and Fil-foreign players to submit their application and other requirements.

Lassiter and Lutz are key cogs in the national squad that is hoping to bag a slot in the 2012 London Olympics via the FIBA-Asia men’s championship in Wuhan, China this September.

The two players are expected to go high in the Draft. Contesting the No. 1 overall pick in the Draft lottery to be held during the Governors’ Cup Finals are the Powerade Tigers and Air21 Express.

So far, 10 players have applied for the 2011 PBA Rookie Draft, which will be held on Aug. 28 at Robinson’s Place Manila.

The other rookie hopefuls are Niño Nabong, Christopher Pestano, Raymond Montaniel, Marc Cagoco, Alvyn Cabonce, Christopher Concepcion, Felimon Fernandez and Marvin Graebel.

The move to have a common deadline gives Fil-foreign applicants, who had to apply by July 29 in the original timetable, three weeks more to complete their requirements.

For this year’s Rookie Draft, however, only Fil-foreign players who have played for the Philippine men’s basketball team and are over the PBA D-League age limit of 26 years old will be allowed to join.

The papers of all the applicants will still have to go through an evaluation process before the Commissioner’s Office comes out with the final list of candidates who will then have to attend the Rookie Camp on Aug. 23 to 26.