With his playmaking abilities and composure under pressure, Kascius Small-Martin caught the attention of many during the two-day PBA Draft Combine.
Kascius Small-Martin could have gone down as a late first-rounder at best in the PBA Season 50 Draft after impressing scouts and coaches in the combine last Sept. 4 to 5.
But that is not happening now.
Small-Martin’s name was excluded from the final list of PBA hopefuls released by the league Saturday, Sept. 6.
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As it turned out, the highly touted Fil-Canadian failed to obtain his Philippine passport in time.
“Kascius will still obtain his passport by October, and the PBA didn’t [accept] the letter from BOI,” PJ Pilares of TMG, who represents Small-Martin, told One Sports.
In an Instagram story, Small-Martin seemingly referenced to this incident when he expressed his dismay over this rejection.
“Never searched for empathy; always rolled with the punches. This one stings a little bit more than the rest,” Small-Martin said.
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But it appears he is taking it all in stride.
“But if there’s one thing life has taught me, it's [that] rejection is just redirection… right?” Small-Martin went on.
“The easy thing to do is just quit. But if you know me, I could never… That’s just not in my blood. What’s meant for me will come my way.”
During the two-day Draft Combine, the 6-foot-2 cager has proven to be a reliable playmaker. He is a pass-first guard who knows when to get buckets.
Small-Martin is among the six names crossed out from the initial 128-man pool that included the likes of Geo Chiu, Juan Gomez de Liaño, Dalph Panopio and Jason Brickman.
On the first day of the combine, Kareem Marcus Huntley withdrew from the draft owing to an injury.