MANILA - One of the projected top picks for this year's PBA Draft has pulled out his name from the event. PBA Commissioner Willie Marcial confirmed on Thursday that six-foot-seven forward Balti Baltazar backed out from Sunday's draft proceedings as he is set to take his talents elsewhere, at least for a year. He said Baltazar sent a letter that he received earlier in the day formalizing his decision to pull himself out of the draft. "May letter na binigay sa akin kanina na finormal niya na niwi-withdraw niya ang pag-a-apply niya para sa draft this year (I received a letter stating his formal withdrawal from this year's draft)," Marcial said after the PBA Draft Combine held at the Gatorade Hoops Center in Mandaluyong City. Attending the combine is a necessary process for the draft applicants if they want to continue their intent to join the draft. Baltazar missed the final day of the combine just like during Day 1 on Wednesday, although Marcial said he was excused
MANILA - Seventy-five basketball players will try their luck to make a name in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) as they threw their hats into the league's rookie draft, the league announced on Sunday. La Salle's sweet-shooting forward Balti Baltazar and high-flying guard Kurt Lojera were among those who formally declared for the May 15 event right on the final day of application on Saturday. The PBA initially set the draft deadline on May 2, but it was eventually moved to May 7, paving the way for the likes of Baltazar and Lojera to join even if their team is still playing in the college basketball playoffs. Baltazar and Lojera, who according to Commissioner Willie Marcial beat the 5 p.m. cut-off, applied the day after the Green Archers were knocked out by the UP Fighting Maroons in their UAAP Final 4 tie. Among those also taking advantage of the deadline extension are former Gilas cadet Jeo Ambohot and fellow Letran Knight Christian Fajarito, whose team will face Pe
MANILA - The University of the Philippines (UP) scored its fifth straight win in the UAAP men's basketball event after taking down La Salle, 61-59, on Thursday at the Mall of Asia Arena. Despite an error-prone performance, the Fighting Maroons moved up to the solo second spot with the victory while dropping the Green Archers to third. La Salle turned to its patented Pumaren style of defense and was on the verge of breaking away after holding UP to just one field goal in a six-minute span in the third and the fourth quarter while taking a 52-45 lead early in the fourth. The Maroons, however, unleashed a 14-4 run midway through the fourth to take a 59-56 advantage with 3:27 to play. The game remained tight the rest of the way, but UP escaped after La Salle's Michael Phillips missed a buzzer-beating layup that could have forced overtime. Zav Lucero powered the Fighting Maroons, now at 5-1, with 21 points highlighted by a two-handed dunk and a clutch triple that highlighted their g