Logo

5th overall draft pick, Solomon Mercado outshined this year's 1st overall pick Gabe Norwood in their debut in the pro league against Air21 Express. Mercado sizzled for 29 points, converting 5/10 from the rainbow country. Norwood managed just 6 markers going 2/8 from the field. Nevertheless, the Elasto Painters crushed the Express, 120-102

The bulky guard who was originally drafted by Alaska landed on Rain or Shine via the Joe Devance trade showed speed and range in his first game. He can play the 1 and 2 positions. Plus, I thought his defense was superb. But the most notable about his game is his ability to slash into the paint and finish strong. He's an effective one-on-one player. He uses his lightning quick crossover to leave his defender and uses his upper body strength to surpass incoming defenders. He also has the energy on and off the court that seems to channel to his teammates. That makes him more valuable. Definitely the Elasto Painters got a bright color in this rookie.

	Birthdate :		Position :	Shooting Guard
	Birthplace :		College :	Biola University
	Height :	6-1	Weight :	200
	Team :	Rain or Shine	Drafted :	2008: 5th overall by Alaska

I'm hoping Rain or Shine can manage to add a big men to its current roster. Perhaps they can look up for trade options with San Miguel Beermen.

Meanwhile, other rookies who were impressive scoring wise in their debut were Jarred Dillinger of Talk n Text who scored 15 points on a win against Coca-Cola and Bonbon Custodio who had 14 points for San Miguel losing to Alaska.

Note: Mercado's 29 points is the highest debut output by a rookie since Asi Taulava had 32 for Talk 'N Text in 1999 against Tanduay.