Villegas went down with an ACL tear last April.
Unless he’s a descendant of Wolverine from the X-Men, PBA first round pick Luis Villegas won’t see action until next year. He is currently recovering from an ACL injury, which he sustained while playing for TNT Triple Giga in a PBA 3x3 game. Still, that didn’t stop the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters from pouncing on the Filipino-American cager and making him the third overall selection in this year’s PBA Draft.
According to the Elasto Painters’ chief tactician, the UE Red Warriors standout was worth the risk.
“We trust him enough na willing kaming maghintay. We believe in his ability. And also, he's a high character guy," Yeng Guiao said in an article posted on the PBA website.
A one-and-done with the Red Warriors in Season 85 of the UAAP men’s basketball tournament, Villegas wasted no time making an impact for the Recto-based squad. Despite not making the Final Four, UE remained a dangerous team all throughout the tourney and a big reason behind that was the stretch forward’s stellar play.
Villegas was highly efficient with his offense, he was a lethal three-point shooter, and he was good rebounder, too. His efforts were rewarded with a UAAP Mythical Team inclusion. Overall, the 6-foot-7 forward averaged 13.1 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 1.9 steals for UE.
All things considered, Guiao is completely sold on the sharpshooting big man.
“He has the size. He has the skills set. And yun nga, sabi ko he has a nice attitude. So, we took the risk on him,” Rain or Shine’s headmaster reiterated.
The Elasto Painters also acquired 6-foot-8 Keith Datu from Chico State, California as the fourth overall pick. To say the least, it’s intriguing to see what’s going to happen when Rain or Shine’s rookie twin towers finally get to play together in the PBA.
(GM)