Pampanga-born Justine Baltazar, who withdrew from the PBA draft two years prior, emerged as the top pick for Converge FiberXers in the 49th season of the annual rookie draft exercise at the Ayala Malls Glorietta 4 Activity Center in Makati.
Baltazar will once again link up with his mentor from De La Salle University (DLSU) in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP), Aldin Ayo, who is now the head coach at Converge.
The 6-foot-7 forward will support a youthful and tall Converge frontline after being widely considered the class's top choice for a considerable amount of time before he entered the draft.
Pampanga roots in Converge
Baltazar’s local origins have always connected him to the Converge FiberXers, as one of the team's consultants is Pampanga Governor Dennis "Delta" Pineda.
He played for the Pampanga Lanterns in the semi-pro league MPBL in which Pineda acted as the head coach.
The 27-year-old forward was also crowned the MPBL Season and Finals Most Valuable Player last year.
Baltazar has averaged 14.5 points, 14.5 rebounds, 6.1 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.0 blocks in 16 games for the Giant Lanterns so far. He contributed to the Green Archers' 2016 UAAP championship.
Regaining confidence in his hometown
Baltazar signed with the Japan B League team Hiroshima Dragonflies two years ago after opting out of the PBA Draft, although he didn't play much overseas.
“I was not healthy last year. I wasn’t able to play overseas. I got my confidence playing in the MPBL and I’m slowly getting my game back,” Baltazar said.
The following players were also drafted: collegiate standouts Kai Ballungay, Jonnel Policarpio, Evan Nelle, CJ Cansino, Jerom Lastimosa, and Mark Nonoy; Filipino-American aces Sedrick Barefield and Caelan Tiongson; overseas returnees RJ Abarrientos and Dave Ildefonso; and others like Ben Phillips, Pao Javillonar, Kurt Reyson, Jared Brown, Xyrus Torres, JM Credo, CJ Mitchell, Miggy Corteza, and JP Maguliano.
