Alaska rookies will get opportunity to play, says coach: ‘They’re off to a good start’

The Alaska Aces have only played one game in the new PBA season and already they like what they’ve seen from their rookies.

The Aces drafted three players in the PBA Season 46 Rookie Draft in Ben Adamos of the University of Perpetual Help System DALTA Altas, RK Ilagan of the San Sebastian College-Recoletos Golden Stags, and Fil-Canadian Taylor Browne.

And though the three got varying amounts of playing time in Alaska’s season opener, they were able to show flashes of what they can do.

“Not bad. Like I said, I told the rookies they’re gonna be thrown out there and be given an opportunity,” Alaska coach Jeff Cariaso said in the post-game press conference.

“For a debut by Ben, Taylor, and also you saw at the end how impressive RK can be. He’s our little spitfire. We’re excited about him,” he added.

Adamos played a little over 14 minutes in his debut game and he was productive, tallying seven points, five rebounds, and one assist in his time on the floor.

Browne saw his first action late in the first half while Ilagan played the fewest minutes but made an impression as he scored eight quick points in just 1:47 minutes on the floor.

But beyond just this game, the coach added that the rookies are putting a lot of the work in during practice, where they’ve proven to have great attitude.

“They’re giving their best. They’re asking a lot of questions cause they wanna learn,” Cariaso shared. “That’s all you can expect from rookies and I think they’re off to a good start.”

—JMB, GMA News