(UPDATE) FOLLOWING an aborted plan to sell its franchise to prospective buyers, Terrafirma will be back in the PBA for Season 50 and will get to pick first for the fifth time in the last seven annual Rookie Drafts on Sept. 7 at the Mall of Asia Music Hall in Pasay City.
Starhorse Shipping and the Zamboanga Valientes showed interest to buy the Terrafirma franchise in recent months but negotiations failed to prosper and the team decided to continue playing in the PBA.
Terrafirma team governor Bobby Rosales announced recently, through PBA legal counsel Atty. Ogie Narvasa, that the Dyip intends to “beef up” their lineup for Season 50.
The Dyip, who won just three times in 33 games in Season 49, own the top overall pick for the annual draft that will be led by Filipino American guard Jason Brickman and former collegiate standouts Juan Gomez De Liano and Will Gozum.
Terrafirma has had a history of losing its top draft picks in recent years, a revolving door of sorts, which to PBA fans, has been a cause of concern or even alarm.
Three-time PBA scoring champion Terrence Romeo is now a free agent with team management deciding not to renew the contract of the high-scoring guard.
That leaves the Dyip without a solid veteran to lean on, considering that experienced PBA stars like Stanley Pringle and Vic Manuel have already left the team as well after the team’s Season 49 campaign.
Manuel now plays for the Pangasina Heatwaves in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League while Pringle just recently inked a pact with Rain or Shine.
Interestingly, all four of the Dyip’s top rookie picks dating back to 2018 are already gone. They were either traded to a title-contending PBA team or are now playing overseas.
CJ Perez, the Dyip’s top pick in 2018, now serves as one of the key stars of San Miguel Beer, while Joshua Munzon, selected No. 1 in 2021, currently plays for NorthPort.
Terrafirma also traded Filipino American guard Stephen Holt to Ginebra, along with big man Isaac Go just days before the 2024 PBA Draft, in exchange for veteran PBA stars Christian Standhardinger and Pringle.
Fil-American forward Roosevelt Adams, the Dyip’s No. 1 pick in 2019, played just one season for Terrafirma before leaving the team and building a pro career in Japan.
If there’s any consolation, Terrafirma still has a young core of players to begin with for Season 50, led by promising forward Louie Sangalang, who averaged 12.0 points and 4.1 rebounds in the Philippine Cup.
Mark Nonoy also finished his rookie season with a flourish after churning out 11.2 points in 18.6 minutes per game.
Even slot man Kemark Cariño, if healthy, can be a solid cornerstone for the team as evidenced by his decent 7.0 points and 1.2 blocks average for the team last season.
With the Dyip owning the top pick for the Season 50 draft, Terrafirma could either boost its backcourt by selecting Brickman, or go for De Liano, for instant scoring threat.
The 33-year-old Brickman is the most experienced among the unofficial 72 rookie aspirants as of Thursday that filed their applications at the PBA office.
Brickman played for Long Island University in the US NCAA history and was just one of four players in tournament history to register 1,000 assists.
Brickman easily brings backcourt stability and leadership given his vast pro career experience which saw him play in Russia and Germany before toiling in Asia the last 10 years.
The cat-quick Brickman is a three-time William Jones Cup champion, being an vital cog in the Philippine club teams Mighty Sports and Strong Group that ruled the annual cage tournament in 2016, 2019 and 2025.
Brickman also helped the Kaohsiung Aquas rule the Taiwan pro league in 2022, earning the Most Valuable Import award and a Mythical First Team citation in the process.
Meanwhile, Gomez de Liano looks to follow on the footsteps of his brother Javi, who is making a PBA comeback after playing for the Anyang Jung Kwan Lang Red Boosters in the Korean Basketball League last season.
Javi played for Terrafirma in the Season 48, before deciding to play in the KBL.
Interestingly, Terrafirma opted to trade the rights to Javi recently in exchange for backup shooter Jerrick Ahanmisi.
The Dyip could also choose to go big with the 6-foot-5 Gozum, the one-time NCAA Most Valuable Player.
Meanwhile, the PBA draft application closed on Friday with aspirants set to undergo the two-day Draft Combine on Sept. 4 and 5 at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City.
