Who showed up for the Cebu City Sharks tryouts?

Former pro Eliud Poligrates was one of many players who tried their luck during the tryouts for the Cebu City Sharks on Monday at the Capitol Parish Gym. | contributed photo

Cebu City, Philippines — The tryouts for the Cebu City Sharks on Monday, April 1, 2019, at the Capitol Parish Gym got an unexpected participant in former PBA guard Eliud Poligrates as the Poro-native looks to restart his stalled basketball career.

A former standout of Southwestern University (SWU)-Phinma who eventually got picked 27th overall by Talk N Text in the 2013 PBA Draft, the 31-year old last played for Kia during the 2015 PBA season. 

Since then, Poligrates has been a basketball nomad, barnstorming one pay-for-play league after another in various parts of the Visayas and Mindanao.

Poligrates was not the only former Cesafi ace to look to the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League for a new start as ex-University of the Visayas stud Phil Mercader and former University of Southern Philippines Foundation standout James Ferraren also tried their luck and were asked to return for the second of the two-day tryouts being presided over by Sharks head coach Titing Manalili.

Close to 30 players joined in on the tryouts, which also included Max4 Birada-Cebu City players Nichole Ubalde and Fletcher Galvez. Also there was former Cesafi Mythical Five member John Reel Saycon.

Team consultant Leode Garcia relayed that the final decision resides in the hands of Manalili when it comes to player selection but added that Poligrates looked good during the tryouts.

“Ang conditioning, medyo wala pa diha pero dili jud nato ma-deny na season jud kaayu muduwa,” Garcia said.

(When it comes to conditioning, it’s not there yet but we can’t deny that he is a seasoned player.)

The Sharks are trying to build on their maiden season that saw them reach the South Division quarterfinals.

The new season of the MPBL is set to open in June. /bmjo