A new breed of stars will make their way into the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) as the league holds its Annual Rookie Draft today at the SM Mall of Asia Music Hall in Pasay City.

A total of 122 hopefuls have thrown their names into the nerve-wracking selection process that will start at 5 p.m., hoping to finally realize their dream of seeing action in the top professional basketball league in the country.

Barring any last-minute transaction, Terrafirma, a struggling team that won only three games last season, will be making the first pick followed by Converge, which gained the No. 2 pick after shipping forward Bryan Santos and its eighth selection to Phoenix, on Thursday.

Then, it will be Blackwater’s turn to select at No. 3 followed by NorthPort at No. 4, Magnolia at No. 5, Merlco at No. 6, and NLEX at No. 7. After the Fuel Masters announce their No. 8 selection, reigning Philippine Cup champion San Miguel Beer will have its turn at No. 9 followed by Rain or Shine at Nos. 10 and 11, and Barangay Ginebra at No. 12 to round out the first round.

Unlike in the previous years, there’s no clear consensus, although multiple DAILY TRIBUNE sources claimed that 6-foot-10 Geo Chiu will be tapped by Terrafirma as the top overall pick over other quality players like Jason Brickman, Juan Gomez de Liaño, Will Gozum and Filipino-Italian Dalph Panopio.

Aside from his height that will instantly give the Dyip a fighting chance to match the ceiling of eight-time PBA Most Valuable Player June Mar Fajardo, the 24-year-old Chiu is also already ripe for the pros after playing for a topnotch program — Ateneo de Manila University — before campaigning in international leagues like The Asian Tournament and Japan B. League. He was also part of the Gilas Youth squad that competed in the FIBA U17 World Cups in 2017 and 2018 and played nine games in the Gilas Pilipinas senior squad.

Prior to joining the draft, Chiu signed a contract with the Abra Weavers in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League, making him available to play his first PBA game in January next year, similar to the situation of Justine Baltazar when he was tapped by Converge as top overall pick last year.

If the plan doesn’t miscarry, Chiu will be the fifth player to be drafted by Terrafirma as top overall pick in its 11-year franchise history.

After trading its top pick to San Miguel in 2017, who turned out to be Christian Standhardinger, Terrafirma used its top pick to draft CJ Perez in 2018, Roosevelt Adams in 2019, Joshua Munzon in 2020, Stephen Holt in 2022. Interestingly, none among Perez, Adams, Munzon and Holt are playing for the Dyip anymore.

In a previous statement, new Terrafirma coach Ronald Tubid admitted that they remain undecided on their choice. What made their decision even harder was the bumper crop of talents that showed up in the Draft Combine on Thursday and Friday at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City.

The stars showed up but it was Sonny Estil — an unheralded forward from Agusan del Sur — who stole the show as he displayed his nerves of steel for all the coaches and talent evaluators to see. His game-wnning basket that lifted Barangay Ginebra to a 37-35 win over San Miguel in the mini-tournament is truly unforgettable, prompting teams to give him a long hard look when they have their turn to make a decision.

“We have a list but nothing’s final, since there could be a lot of situations and questions that we’ll have to look into,” Tubid, who will make his coaching debut in Season 50, said.

“But of course, we have a name for the No. 1 but we can’t divulge it yet. It’s a surprise.”

If ever the Dyip snub Chiu, who hardly broke a sweat as he was under the weather during the Draft Combine, they can opt for a heady playmaker like Brickman or a dynamic scorer like Gomez de Liaño or Panopio to light up the scoreboard. Although they already have Mark Nonoy, Aljun Melecio and newly-acquired Jerrick Ahanmisi in the backcourt, the addition of another lights-out scorer will definitely make the Dyip competitive.

Tubid said their goal is to become competitive.

“We will not join the PBA if we don’t want to become competitive,” said Tubid, admitting that their goal is to make a return to the playoffs.

“For me, if there’s a chance to get solid players, we hope to maximize whatever we have and try our best to make the playoffs.”