Sonny Estil vows to bring hustle, defense to Barangay Ginebra

He may not have been the most familiar name among the 122 hopefuls in the recent PBA Rookie Draft, but after earning MVP honors during the Draft Combine, Sonny Estil was selected in the first round and landed with crowd favorite Barangay Ginebra.

Even he was surprised by how things turned out.

“Nagulat ako na Ginebra ang tumawag sa akin eh. Siyempre, kinabahan ako kanina pa,” a nervous Estil told reporters last Sunday.

“Thankful ako kay God. Kung anong binigay Niya sa akin, tatanggapin ko ‘tong opportunity na ’to, at pagtatrabahuhan ko.”

Standing at 6-foot-2, Estil vowed to give his best to repay the trust Ginebra has shown him.

“Siguro, ibibigay ko lang ‘yung hustle lagi, depensa, ‘yun talaga ang number one na gagawin ko. ‘Yung opensa, sabi ko nga kanina, given na lang ‘yun. Pag naka-shoot, okay; basta may depensa sa kanila,” he said.

Barangay Ginebra head coach Tim Cone, meanwhile, hopes Estil will prove his worth and earn a spot in the team’s rotation.

“We just think he's a kid that has a lot of potential. He's athletic. He runs the floor well. He gets to the basket well. He's got good size for his position, which is important. And we just felt that he had a really high upside,” Cone said.

“So it's a great story — a guy coming from nowhere and then ending up a first-round pick for Ginebra. I hope it ends with a happy ending. I hope he earns a spot and becomes a really good player for us. That would be a great ending to a great story.”

—JKC, GMA Integrated News