The Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) has tentatively pegged schedules for its draft activities and season opener.
In a Tuesday appearance on the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Forum, executive vice president Rhose Montreal said they are looking to hold the draft combine and the selection proceedings in a bubble in October.
"We'll receive applications until September 30, and then the screening will start October 1 to 10. There will be a draft combine from October 20 to 22, and then the draft will be a virtual draft via Zoom on October 30," she shared.
Preseason action, as well as the final submission of rosters and other requirements, will commence on the first week of January 2021, while the newly-minted pro league's first season will officially tip off on the third week.
For the draft combine, Montreal said the WNBL will adhere to the same protocols that the NBL will follow in resuming its playoffs.
"We're actually about to finish the playoffs part two inside the bubble. After we finish the championship sa men's, we'll also apply the same safety protocols that we submitted to GAB and IATF in conducting our draft combine," she said.
"We have enough time to prepare for all the activities. For the draft combine, we'll just copy-paste whatever safety protocols are approved by the IATF, GAB and DOH doon from men's to WNBL."
So far, over 300 players have thrown their name in the hat after just two days of posting the draft form on its Facebook page, according to Montreal.
"'Yung WNBL, we try to manage it separately from the NBL men's because the reason for separate management is ayaw po namin ma-separate sa homegrown. You play for the city or province where you were born. Eto po, it's really open," she said.
"You'll be surprised that out of the 327 applications, 30 percent po are coming from Cebu. Another 20 percent are coming from Mindanao and the rest are from Metro Manila and nearby provinces. Ayaw po namin ma-limit 'yung opportunity ng women players to play in the WNBL."
Unlike its counterpart in the NBL, where players will have to prove they were born in the city or province they want to play for, the WNBL only requires draft hopefuls to have been born in the Philippines.
"Isa lang naman ang requirement natin. Submit your PSA that states you're born in the Philippines," said Montreal. "Unlike sa homegrown natin sa men's, kailangan naka-state sa PSA mo na kung saang province or city ka maglalaro, doon ka pinanganak.
"Dito naman sa WNBL, as long as the PSA states you're born in the Philippines, kahit nag-abroad ka na, bumalik ka lang because you wanted to play, ang importante is you're born in the Philippines. Ganoon lang ka-simple 'yung requirements."
The women's league has also raised its age requirement from 18-35 to 21-40 years old, though Montreal said players over the age limit could be given exemptions.
"Nung na-convert na po tayo into pro, marami pong nagme-message sa atin saying, 'Ma'am Rhose, it's really been our dream to play for a professional league. We hope you would consider the age requirement,'" she shared.
"We peg it at 21-40. But for me if you're 41, 42 and you're still willing to play and you still have the skills to be competitive, everybody's welcome po. We're here to make their dreams come true," she added. "As long as you're competitive and you can live up to the game and the requirements, everybody's welcome."
In its inaugural season, the WNBL will field 10 to 12 teams, two of which include military teams with enlisted personnel from the Air Force and Navy.
"Kami naman po we're very open," Montreal said about teams applying to join the WNBL. "Now that we're already a pro league, we've appointed a screening committee to screen all the membership applications."
College players and teams aren't precluded from joining the WNBL but will only be treated as a guest team, according to Montreal. Collegiate players are also asked to finish college first before declaring for the draft.
"Say for example, a collegiate player wishes to play for the WNBL. She will not be treated as a pro player. She will just be granted a guest player license. Same goes with a collegiate team, like for the case of La Salle. La Salle was about to join the second season of the WNBL before the pandemic happened," she said.
"If they decide to come in again as a collegiate team, they will be treated as a guest team. Pagdating po sa draft, we're suggesting na right after college na po sana 'yung magpapa-draft sa atin para wala pong masyadong problema sa mother league nila."
Montreal also touched a little bit on the WNBL's plans for its season champion and said that the first-ever titlist will play in pocket tournaments in Southeast Asia and the United States.
"After the first season, we'll be bringing the champion team outside the Philippines for an international pocket tournament. Initially ang first plan is within the neighboring Asian countries, so we're targeting Thailand and Indonesia. It's all about competitiveness," she said.
"We're [also] bringing the champion team naman to WNBL USA because there's a very close relationship between NBL USA and NBL Philippines. Just like their men's counterpart, the champion will be brought to USA in Houston for a pocket tournament with all the other teams of NBL USA," added Montreal.
Former UP Fighting Maroon and Gilas Women player Bea Daez-Fabros, who was recently named the league's ambassador, said the WNBL's plans have generated a lot of buzz among female players raring to fully embrace a league that they could call their own.
"There's really just all excitement," she said. What I really see is now everyone trying to get back in shape in their own homes, no matter how hard it is right now in the quarantine and pandemic. They're doing their own thing, trying to find their own ways to get back in shape."
"With this professional league, I'm sure all those players who were looking before to play outside the country, they won't have to look so far anymore because they can just play here in their home country and be with their family and friends as well," Daez-Fabros added.