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Ex-Eagles chosen in PBA draft earn praise from Black


Moments after a hard-fought victory over Adamson, Ateneo coach Norman Black felt a sense of pride upon learning that former players Nonoy Baclao and Rabeh Al-Hussaini were the Top 2 picks in the 2010 PBA Annual Rookie Draft. "That's great for them," said Black, after the Blue Eagles escaped with a 55-52 win over the Falcons at the Araneta Coliseum. Both players were selected by Air21 during Sunday's draft held at the Market! Market! in Taguig City. Although the two were expected to be chosen by the Express, Baclao came out as a surprise top overall pick while Al-Hussaini came at No. 2. Nico Salva and Ryan Buenafe, who joined Black in the customary postgame interview, even asked sportswriters about the draft and were even surprised when they learned of Baclao's selection. "I'm really happy for both of them, especially for Nonoy (Baclao) because he came from humble beginnings," said Black. "Hopefully, they will treat us in practice because they're now millionaires." Also selected in the draft was another former Eagle in Jai Reyes, the 18th overall pick by Powerade in the second round. The three were instrumental in leading Ateneo to two consecutive UAAP titles from 2008-2009. Al-Hussaini wound up with the league's regular season MVP award in 2008 and the Finals MVP trophy in 2009 when the Eagles beat the University of the East Red Warriors for their second straight crown. He later joined the Smart Gilas-RP team before applying for the rookie draft. Baclao starred for West Negros College in Bacolod before he was recruited to play for Ateneo. He was the 2008 Finals MVP. The 6-foot-5 center/forward then suited up for the Philippine Patriots in the ASEAN Basketball League where he helped the team won the inaugural crown at the expense of Indonesia's Satria Muda BritAma. Reyes was one of the team's main backcourt players during that title run making timely outside shots and defensive stops. The 5-foot-9 guard also played for Cobra Energy Drink in the previous Philippine Basketball League conference. - JVP, GMANews.TV

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