Ten Years After: Revisiting the 2015 PBA Rookie Class

One of the deepest rookie draft classes in PBA history turned 10 recently. The GAME revisits the top picks and what happened to their careers.

On August 23, 2015, the annual PBA rookie draft took place in Robinsons Place Manila. A total of 64 prospects crowded the Midtown Atrium of the mall, hoping to hear their names called by any of the league’s 12 teams.

When the smoke cleared after eight rounds, 54 players were selected, and although not all of them signed contracts, majority of those who did went on to become impactful players for their teams.

Looking back at the accomplishments of this batch of rookies, it’s probably accurate to say that this was one of the deepest rookie classes ever. As late as the fifth round, there was at least one player picked who would go on to play several seasons.

Let’s take a look back at what happened on Draft Day, and how the careers of the top players of this draft turned out.

Revisiting the first round

It’s worth remembering that the Talk ‘N Text Tropang Texters eventually managed to land the top two picks Mo Tautuaa and Troy Rosario, who were selected by the Blackwater Elite and Mahindra Enforcer, respectively. The two were basically 1a and 1b in most mock drafts, but in the end Tautuaa was picked first owing to his raw physical attributes. To refresh your memories, this is how the first round went:

Of these 12 players, three are no longer in the league. Nimes had the shortest PBA career, playing just 41 games over two seasons with Rain or Shine and Columbian. Dela Cruz had a good start, averaging in double digits in scoring over his first two seasons, but injuries slowed him down and he was out of the PBA by 2023. Lanete averaged 7.2ppg over six seasons and retired in 2021 to migrate to the United States, where he is now a youth coach.

Other notable picks

The succeeding rounds produced several other players who would go on to have productive PBA careers.

In the second round, seven of the 10 picks (Rain or Shine, which had two second-rounders, passed) – Almond Vosotros, Bradwyn Guinto, Don Trollano, Aljon Mariano, Simon Enciso, Kris Rosales and Michael Miranda – were all still playing in the PBA last season. Another pick, Marion Magat, played seven seasons. The two others – Jaypee Mendoza and Abel Galliguez – played four and five seasons, respectively. Mendoza probably could have played longer were it not for a deep vein thrombosis diagnosis.

The third round also produced some prized finds. Although only Jansen Rios was still on a PBA roster last season, Roi Sumang played eight seasons, Nico Elorde six and Yutien Andrada five. Other third-rounders like Leo De Vera, Mark Cruz, Michael Mabulac and Dennice Villamor were able to play for a season or two or three.

Even in the fourth round, there were still good role players to be found. The most notable of these was sharpshooter Mike DiGregorio, who was picked 35^th overall and went on to have a solid nine-season career. Keith Agovida, chosen just one pick ahead of DiGregorio as the first pick of the fourth round, was able to hang around for five seasons. There was also Jerramy King, who played four seasons, and Samboy De Leon, who squeezed out three seasons.

Further down the draft order were Bong Galanza, who was picked in the fifth round and who played six seasons, and Alvin Abundo, taken in the seventh round and who lasted five.

Giving the Draft a makeover

What if all the teams could go back in time, knowing what they know now, and did the first round of the 2015 PBA Rookie Draft all over again? How would it have gone? Of course, we will never know the answer to that, but let’s give it a shot anyway.

1. Scottie Thompson (original pick: 5^th)

The clear top dog in this rookie class. Thus far, Thompson is the only player from the Class of 2015 to have won an MVP. He’s also won seven championships and been named Finals MVP twice and Mythical First Team twice while earning a reputation as one of the best rebounding guards to ever play in the PBA.

2. Chris Newsome (original pick: 4^th)

Going into the draft, there were some who felt Newsome would go third. Ten years later, a case can be made for New to have gone second overall given his body of work. It was actually Newsome who was named Rookie of the Year, and through his 10 seasons with Meralco he always averaged double digits in scoring. Last year he won his first PBA title and Finals MVP.

3. Troy Rosario (original pick: 2^nd)

Rosario has averaged double digits in nine of his first 10 seasons, highlighted by a Mythical Second Team nod in 2019 after he averaged a career-high 15.1ppg. So far he’s won one championship and could be in line for a couple more after signing with Barangay Ginebra last year.

4. Don Trollano (original pick: 15^th)

Trollano won a title in his very first year with Rain or Shine although he struggled to get meaningful minutes in a loaded lineup. His career took off after being traded to TNT in 2019. He has since become a solid scorer off the bench with Blackwater, NLEX and now San Miguel, where he has already won two titles.

5. Mo Tautuaa (original pick: 1^st)

It could be said that Tautuaa’s career has so far fallen a little short of what was expected from a top overall pick. After averaging less than 10ppg in his first three seasons, TNT shipped him to NorthPort, where he averaged 14.0ppg over parts of two seasons. He has since found his niche as a back-up to June Mar Fajardo at San Miguel, where he has won three titles.

6. Maverick Ahanmisi (original pick: 3^rd)

A number of eyebrows were raised after Rain or Shine chose Ahanmisi third overall, as most mock drafts had pegged him as a late first-rounder. But he managed to crack Yeng Guiao’s rotation as a rookie, and was a vital part of the franchise’s last championship run in 2016. Ahanmisi went on to have larger roles with Alaska and Converge, before settling down as part of Tim Cone’s guard rotation with Ginebra.

7. Glenn Khobuntin (original pick: 10^th)

Khobuntin’s career stats – 6.1ppg, 2.9rpg, 0.9apg – may not jump out at you, but he’s proven to be one of the more reliable wingmen in the PBA over the last 10 years. He has solidified his place in Chot Reyes’s TNT rotation and last season set a league record by appearing in 75 games.

8. Simon Enciso (original pick: 17^th)

Even though he fell down the board on draft day, Enciso has managed to carve out a productive journeyman’s career with six different ballclubs. While he was never a starter, Enciso always did enough to stay in the rotation wherever he went. So far he’s pocketed two championships, one with San Miguel and the other with TNT.

9. Kris Rosales (original pick: 19^th)

Another second-round pick who has managed to become a serviceable guard for five different franchises, Rosales was actually expected to go higher in the draft after a good showing with the Singapore Slingers in the defunct ASEAN Basketball League (ABL). Like Enciso, he has never been starter material, but he has been able to provide quality minutes for whichever team he plays for.

10. Kevin Racal (original pick: 11^th)

K-Racs getting picked 11^th overall by Alaska was pretty spot-on given his relationship with Aces assistant Louie Alas, his former coach at Letran. After 10 seasons he’s proven to be worthy of being a late first-rounder, and although he’s battled through some serious injuries, he’s still proven to be an effective role player.

11. Baser Amer (original pick: 7^th)

His career has been wracked by injuries, and his game has been on a slow decline over the past four seasons, but Amer was once a double-digit scorer on a competitive Bolts team and was once touted as one half of the backcourt of the future along with Newsome. But we’re guessing he still would have been a first-round pick given his skill set.

12. Norbert Torres (original pick: 8^th)

The last pick was a bit of a challenge, but we decided to award all 12 slots to players who are still around since it speaks to their ability to remain in demand. Bearing these in mind, we picked Torres by a slim margin over Miranda. Torres’s six-seven frame and ability to hit the 3 still make him a useful big man in 2025. He also has one thing that Miranda doesn’t: a championship.

Possible early second-rounders include Aljon Mariano, Garvo Lanete, Mike DiGregorio, Michael Miranda, Bradwyn Guinto and Roi Sumang.

Images from PBA Media Bureau and Excel Panlaque