Zus Coffee hot on Gagate

Zus Coffee is leaning towards selecting Alas Pilipinas middle blocker Thea Gagate as the No. 1 overall pick in the first-ever Premier Volleyball League (PVL) Rookie Draft next month.

Barring any last-minute change of heart, the towering 6-foot-2 De La Salle University product is expected to be the first to take centerstage in the draft set on 8 July at the Novotel in Cubao, Quezon City to be welcomed by the Thunderbelles.

“It’s a consensus who among the aspirants will be the No. 1 (pick). You really need that height and mobility,” Zus Coffee head coach Jerry Yee said on Tuesday while scouting for talents in the two-day Draft Combine at the Gameville Ballpark in Mandaluyong City.

“Although we still need the final approval of the management. We all agreed on the first name we wanted which is Thea.”

Gagate was vital in La Salle’s campaign in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP). Her towering presence helped the Lady Spikers claim the crown last year.

‘It’s a consensus who among the aspirants will be the No. 1 (pick).’

But La Salle fell short of a repeat after getting eliminated by eventual runner-up University of Santo Tomas in the Final Four of UAAP Season 86 last month.

Gagate was instrumental in the historic bronze medal finish of Alas Pilipinas in the AVC Challenge Cup hosted by the Philippines last month.

If Gagate gets the historic first selection, she will become the cornerstone of a club that went 0-11 in their maiden campaign in the All-Filipino Conference while carrying the Strong Group Athletics (SGA) banner.

The Thunderbelles, whose franchise took over the disbanded Gerflor last year, were drawn to pick first through a Draft Lottery held Monday night at the TV5 Media Center.

SGA released all of its players and head coach Onyok Getigan following a disappointing AFC stint and was rebranded as Zus Coffee with sister team Farm Fresh shipping former mentor Yee to take over the coaching reins.

The Thunderbelles earlier signed the veteran core of three-peat National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) champion College of Saint Benilde bannered by Gayle Pascual, setter Cloanne Mondoñedo, Michelle Gamit, and Jade Gentapa. They all played for the Foxies before taking a leave of absence due to their NCAA commitment.

With the top pick locked, Yee is interested in filling up his roster with good pieces to make his team as competitive as possible.

“Hopefully, the other teams won’t select younger players. We have a lot of slots to fill at Zus. Right now, we only have one (player) in each position. Usually, you have to have three or four per position,” said Yee, who will also get to select the 13th overall pick at the start of the second round.

“(This conference) will be challenging because we can’t perform poorly and say we’re a new team as an excuse. We don’t want that. We’ll slug it out,” he added.

“We’ll start by picking up good pieces and from there build on that. Let’s see.”