Head coach Tim Cone explains why the Barangay Ginebra picked the ‘Estil of the draft’ in the first round.
Sonny Estil could barely believe it when he heard his name called during the PBA Season 50 Rookie Draft festivities last Sunday at the SM Mall of Asia Music Hall.
Estil was selected 11th overall by Barangay Ginebra on draft night, despite lacking a strong resumé compared to his fellow aspirants. After all, Estil was a journeyman throughout college, and he wasn’t exactly a standout either in the MPBL with Pampanga.
“Nagulat ako na Ginebra tinawag ako! Syempre ako kinakabahan ako, hanggang ngayon kinakabahan pa rin ako! Pero thankful na lang ako kay God, tatanggapin ko ‘yung opportunity na ito,” Estil told the media shortly after getting picked by the Gin Kings.
It wasn’t until the Draft Combine that Sonny Estil started to make some noise, where he played for the Ginebra A-1 squad handled by Olsen Racela. Estil knocked down the game-winner to lift the Gin Kings past San Miguel in the finals, and went on to take home Most Valuable Player award in the pocket tourney.
By impressing in the Draft Combine, Estil successfully grabbed the attention of Gin Kings mentor Tim Cone, who was in the United States for his son’s marriage proposal. As Cone recalls, the six-foot-three forward wasn’t even on their radar heading into Sunday’s draft, but that changed upon seeing his play in the two-day event.
“They were sending me videos of the Combine and I really liked this kid and how he plays, then when I flew back here, I arrived in the morning and I looked up in the news and I found out that he was the MVP,” Cone shared. “So at that point, I thought, ‘We can’t get him anymore’, because someone might pick him early since he won the MVP and he got the attention.”
Cone believes that Estil is a raw talent with high upside, which is greatly aided by his physical gifts.
“He runs the floor well and he attacks the basket well, he’s got good size for his position which is important, so we saw that he had a really high upside,” Cone said.
“So he’s a great story, coming from nowhere and ending up being a first round pick with Ginebra. So I hope that he ends up with a happy ending, he earns his spot and you know? He becomes a really good player for us. That would be a great ending for his story.”
Estil promised to leave it all on the floor as he guns for a roster spot with the Gin Kings heading into Season 50.
“Ibibigay ko lang ‘yung best ko, kung ano ‘yung maitutulong ko sa team na Ginebra…Siguro ibibigay ko lang ‘yung hustle ko palagi, ‘yung depensa ang number one na gagawin ko. ‘Yung opensa, given na lang ‘yun.”
Banner Images from PBA Media Bureau.