MANILA, Philippines – Japeth Aguilar’s pursuit of his NBA dream got closer to reality after he became the first ever Filipino to be drafted in the NBA Developmental League.
Santa Cruz Warriors, the D-League affiliate of the Golden State Warriors in the NBA, selected Aguilar in the seventh round.
The 6-9 Aguilar, who sustained a minor hamstring injury heading into the draft that forced him to miss his last D-League workout (with the Iowa Energy), is expected to get a warm welcome from the Filipino community in the Bay Area.
"Thank you Lord! God is great," Aguilar posted on his Twitter account (japethaguilar35) shortly after getting drafted. "God is in control of everything. I will work hard for the next two weeks."
The 25-year-old former Ateneo Blue Eagle and Western Kentucky Hilltopper will undergo two weeks of training with the Santa Cruz Warriors. The Warriors will play the Reno Big Horns in their season opener on Nov. 30 on the road.
Aguilar, who attended a series of workouts with several NBA teams before joining the NBA D-League draft, was described as a “work in progress” by the New Orleans Hornets talent scout Don Sellers. The former Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) top overall pick now has a chance to further develop his game and prove himself worthy of a call up from the NBA.
The NBA D-League editors described Aguilar as “distilled version of what the NBA D-League can be – a place for players who aren’t quite there yet (for whatever reason) to hone their skills and prove themselves.”
Former Boston Celtic Jajuan Johnson became the top pick of the draft going to Fort Wayne Mad Ants. Sioux Falls Skyforce used the second pick to select Andrew Goudelock, who was recently waived by the Los Angeles Lakers.
Two more former NBA players – Christian Eyenga (Texas Legends) and Shelvin Mack (Maine Red Claws) – were also selected in the first round.
via Alder Almo, published in Philstar.com on November 3, 2012
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