MANILA, Philippines–L-Jay Gonzales couldn’t wait to finally make the jump to the PBA and join his fellow Far Eastern University products who came off impressive rookie seasons.

Gonzales, a projected mid-to-late first-rounder in Sunday’s Rookie Draft, could either be teammates or opponents of Barangay Ginebra’s RJ Abarrientos or NLEX’s Xyrus Torres, who the previous year made the decision to enter the Draft.

READ: UAAP: L-Jay Gonzales ‘happy’ to finish final season despite injuries

“I was supposed to join them last year,” Gonzales said, adding that he felt a bit “envy” about seeing Abarrientos and Torres strut their wares in the big league.

The three were teammates at FEU from high school all the way to the UAAP’s collegiate division. Abarrientos eventually had stints in Japan and South Korea before being selected third by Ginebra while Torres was taken in the third round by NLEX.

Both impressed during Season 49, with Abarrientos a likely Rookie of the Year frontrunner and Torres provided a spark after arriving midseason by way of the MPBL with Quezon.

Gonzales had to stay put with the same Quezon squad in the regional league, helping the Huskers reach the 2024 Finals, while also playing a key role in their hold of the South Division lead this season.

READ: UAAP: L-Jay Gonzales delivers anew as FEU makes it back-to-back

Once his MPBL duties are over, Gonzales will look to do the same thing Abarrientos and Torres did and be a key cog on the team that would choose him in Sunday’s proceedings at SM Mall of Asia Music Hall.

“I’m happy to see them do well in the PBA. They’ve done a good job doing the roles they had with their team, and now it’s my turn,” he said. “I will just do whatever role is asked of me and give my 100 percent effort.”

It’s been a busy few days leading up to the Draft, going through the MPBL season while attending workouts of teams that have put him on their radar. He was also part of the Team D-1 San Miguel squad that reached the final of the mini-tournament in the Draft Combine.