One well-known name who is absent from the official list of prospects that submitted applications for the upcoming Season 49 PBA draft is Rhenz Abando.

The former Gilas Pilipinas player seemed to still be determined to tour abroad.

Representatives for the 26-year-old winger are Espiritu Manotoc Basketball Management, or EMBM.

However, Abando declined to provide specifics about his plans for the upcoming season, including if he plans to play for a different team in the Korean Basketball League (KBL) or make his debut in the Japan B.League.

He was coming off a two-year KBL tenure with the Anyang Jung Kwan Jang before becoming a free agency.

Santo Tomas, La Union native dominated the slam-dunk competition during the KBL’s All-Star weekend and earned a league championship in his debut season with the Red Boosters.

The East Asia Super League (EASL) Champions Week was likewise won by Anyang.

But during his sophomore season, the previous Letran Rookie-MVP of the NCAA sustained a serious back injury after taking a hard fall that fractured his third and fourth lumbar vertebrae, damaged his wrist, and caused a concussion.

He missed eighteen games in all, and Anyang struggled all season, finishing from second to last, as it was unable to defend its crown.

Abando made the announcement shortly after that he will not be extending his contract with the Korean club squad.

His choice sparked rumors that he will eventually enter the PBA draft, for which Mark Nonoy and CJ Cansino, two of his former colleagues from the University of Santo Tomas, had already submitted applications.

However, neither Abando’s application nor his representative was present last Thursday at the conclusion of business hours on the last day of applications.

Abando will be wearing the Strong Group Athletics uniform at the upcoming Jones Cup in Taiwan as he waits for an offer.

Meanwhile, after being suspended from the MPBL in April of last year, Germy Mahinay submitted an application for the PBA Season 49 Draft.

Two months after becoming involved in a contentious on-court incident while playing for Negros Muscavados, Mahinay is one of the seventy players that declared for the draft on July 14.

Mahinay was given an indefinite suspension and a PHP 100,000 punishment in April of last year for undermining Joey Barcuma of Zamboanga, who collapsed heavily on the ground during their Binan encounter.

After the play’s video went viral, Mahinay’s punishment was not revoked by the MPBL.

For Mahinay, then, the PBA Draft represents a second opportunity at hoops.

The 6-foot-6 power forward averaged seven rebounds per game in four games before his ban, including two games in which he pulled down ten or more rebounds.

Before entering the MPBL in 2023, Mahinay played collegiately for University of Santo Tomas and National U. In that league, he represented Quezon Province and Zamboanga.