In this five-part series, we look back at the PBA drafts from 1985 - the year the league instituted a rookie draft - to 2015 and try to identify the biggest steals of each draft. We've published the steals from 1985-1990, 1991-1996, and 1997-2002. Here are the ones from 2003-2008.
From 2003 to 2008, the PBA geared up for a really good era as the seeds of Philippine basketball's resurgence back on the world stage were also planted. After the influx of Filipino-foreigners in the five years prior, the youngsters of 2003 to 2008 knew that they needed to bring it from the moment they entered the league.
As a result, many of the top prospects turned out to be legends of Philippine basketball, while some who were not expected to be stars bucked the odds with hard work and determination to carve out their own space in the league.
Here are the biggest steals in the PBA draft from 2003 to 2008.
2003
Top overall pick (Alaska) - Mike Cortez, DLSU
Steal (Talk 'N Text) - Jimmy Alapag, Cal State San Bernardino (1st round, 10th overall)
Jimmy Alapag got an opportunity to play for the Philippine national team before he even set foot in the PBA. However, instead of being able to use this to showcase his skills, Alapag suffered an unfortunate hand injury that ended up hurting his draft stock. Teams wanted to pick up surefire prospects such as Mike Cortez, who had already shown he could run a team with the De La Salle Green Archers, or proven MBA veterans in Rommel Adducul of the Manila Metrostars and Eddie Laure of the Batangas Blades.
Alapag was finally selected 10th overall by Talk 'N Text who already had an earlier pick in the draft which they used to select Harvey Carey. The selection became a franchise-changing decision as Alapag turned out to be one of the best point guards the country has ever seen.
Honorable Mentions: Cyrus Baguio (Red Bull - 2nd round, 14th overall), Ronald Tubid (Shell - 2nd round round, 16th overall)
2004
Top overall pick (Shell) - Rich Alvarez, Ateneo
Steal (Purefoods) - Paul Artadi, UE (2nd round, 11th overall)
The year 2004 had a stacked draft class with six of the first 10 picks eventually earning a Mythical Team selection during their careers. After selecting the next face of the franchise after Alvin Patrimonio in James Yap and adding a young big in Ervin Sotto, Purefoods used the first pick of the second round to select Paul Artadi. The move reunited Artadi and Yap, who were teammates in college with the UE Red Warriors.
Artadi didn't have a great touch from outside, but he made up for it with speed and defensive tenacity. He was a valuable backup point guard who could drastically change the flow of the game by pressuring the opposing point guard, and he ran at every opportunity. Playing a big role off the bench, he won three PBA championships -- two with Purefoods in the Philippine Cup in 2006 and 2010, and one with Barangay Ginebra in the 2008 Fiesta Conference.
Honorable Mention: Willy Wilson (Alaska - 2nd round, 15th overall)
2005
Top overall pick (Air21) - Jay Washington, Eckerd
Steal (Red Bull) - Larry Fonacier, Ateneo (2nd round, 14th overall)
It's a story similar to Alapag's situation in 2003. Larry Fonacier was not able to finish his final season with Ateneo after suffering an ACL injury. While there was no doubt to what he could bring to the table, teams felt it was too risky to select a player who was coming off a big injury.
Red Bull finally snagged him midway through the second round and he immediately made an impact, winning Rookie of the Year while also helping the team win the Fiesta Conference. He has won seven PBA titles, most of these with the TNT KaTropa where he also won a Finals MVP trophy in the 2012 Philippine Cup.
Honorable Mention: Mark Macapagal (Talk 'N Text - 2nd round, 18th overall)
2006
Top overall pick (Sta. Lucia) - Kelly Williams, Oakland University
Steal (Welcoat) - Jireh Ibanes, UP (2nd round, 11th overall)
This was the year when the Welcoat Dragons entered the PBA and they were allowed to bring in Jay-R Reyes, Junjun Cabatu, and Jay Sagad as carryovers. They had the last pick of the first round which they used on another UP big man in Abby Santos before selecting his fellow fighting Maroon in Ibanes right after.
Jireh Ibanes knew what his role would be from the very start and he did it so well that he made the 2007 All-Rookie Team with Reyes and three of the first four picks in the draft (Kelly Williams, Arwind Santos, and LA Tenorio). The value of Ibanes extended way beyond the boxscore and he finally got the adulation he deserved when he was named the PBA Defensive Player of the Year in 2012.
2007
Top overall pick (Welcoat) - Joe Devance, Texas-El Paso
Steal (Coca-Cola) - Ronjay Buenafe, EAC (second round, 11th overall pick)
The year 2007 did not feature a deep draft pool, with only 17 selections in total. Ronjay Buenafe fell into the right situation as he landed with the Coca-Cola Tigers who had just acquired Asi Taulava. Buenafe immediately displayed his scoring prowess as he averaged 11.2 points per game as a freshman, which was enough to get him on the All-Rookie Team.
Honorable Mention: Ryan Arana (Welcoat - 2nd round 12th overall)
2008
Top overall pick (Rain or Shine) - Gabe Norwood, George Mason
Steal (Barako Bull) - Jeff Chan, FEU (2nd round, 17th overall)
The 2008 PBA Rookie Draft included three players who would make the Gilas Pilipinas team that ended the country's 40-year absence from the World Cup. Two were expected to be good from the start in Gabe Norwood and Jayson Castro. The steal of the draft, Jeff Chan, though, was overlooked by TNT, his future team Rain or Shine, Air21, Sta. Lucia, Alaska, and Purefoods in the second round before he was scooped up by Barako Bull.
Chan quickly showed that those teams made a huge mistake as he averaged 9.1 points per game in his rookie year and became one of the best shooters of this generation.