Dalph Panopio represented Batang Gilas in the FIBA U19 World Cup in Greece in 2019. He played alongside the likes of Kai Sotto, AJ Edu and Carl Tamayo.
Count Dalph Panopio among the aspirants looking to make the PBA this season.
Panopio threw his name into the hat just days before the deadline of application for the draft early next month.
The 25-year-old cager is joining the likes of Jason Brickman, Will Gozum, Juan Gomez de Liano and LJay Gonzales in the draft pool.
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Lest fans forget, Panopio was part of the Batang Gilas program in 2018 that included young stars Kai Sotto and AJ Edu.
Born and raised in Rome, Italy, the 6-foot-1 cager opted to don the national team colors in the FIBA U18 Asian Championship in Thailand where he normed 7.3 points, four rebounds and four assists.
In the FIBA U19 World Cup the following year in Greece, he submitted averages of five points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists.
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Panopio, whose father and mother trace their roots to Batangas and Oriental Mindoro, respectively, went on to play for US NCAA Division 1 school Cal State Bakersfield.
As a Roadrunner playmaker, he averaged 4.1 points, 1.4 rebounds and 1.2 assists.
Now he is coming home, he will bring with him a wealth of experience to the league, where he is projected to be a first-rounder.
The PBA Draft combine is set Sept. 4 and 5 at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig.