Falcon stretch four is newest Magnolia cager
Date Posted: May 20, 2022 at 03:16 PM
Another Falcon has soared his way to the PBA.
Keith Zaldivar, one of Adamson’s vital cogs from its UAAP 84 campaign, has landed in the pros after being selected by the Magnolia Hotshots in the 2022 PBA Draft held last May 15.
A Falcon-lifer, Pong, as he is fondly called by the community, played for the Baby Falcons in 2013, and even became part of the team that reached the Final Four in Season 77.
Zaldivar’s playing years with the Baby Falcons was eventually cut short after the UAAP lowered the maximum playing age for the Juniors Division to 18.
But unlike some of his peers, the soft-spoken Aklanon moved up and stayed to don the color of the Soaring Falcons, waiting two years before debuting the blue and 6white in the Seniors Division in Season 80.
He became a key reserve for coach Franz Pumaren, playing as an enforcer in the post, and an imposing presence on defense.
But the UAAP 84 saw a different Pong – he trimmed down and was knocking down shots from deep – far from the post-up moves that klasmeyts have come to see him do in previous UAAP installments.
The 6-foot-6 power forward became one of the leaders of new Adamson mentor Nash Racela’s team, along with Cebuano captain Tricky Peromingan and star point guard Jerom Lastimosa.
Although the Falcons ended the season not making the Final Four, Zaldivar had made good account of himself as he flexed his new-found plays.
And as he embarks to a new journey in the pros, we wish that he soar to limitless possibilities.
