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WITH
most of its top stars gone to see duty on the national
team, the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA)
decided to bring in a new attraction.
Alex
Compton, the last star from the now-defunct Metropolitan
Basketball Association (MBA) not to play in the pro
league, will finally see action in Asia’s first
play-for-pay loop for Welcoat Paints in the coming
Fiesta Cup.
The
league’s board yesterday approved the Dragons’
application for Compton, the sweet-shooting American who
made his name locally on the MBA’s Batangas Blades.
Although
born in
Manila, Compton’s
parents are both American, making him ineligible to play
in the PBA until now.
“We
welcome Alex to the PBA. We are happy he now has the
chance to strut his wares here,” said league
commissioner Noli Eala, noting that the board was
unanimous in its decision.
“The
[league] governors were very supportive of the idea from
the perspective of making Welcoat more competitive and
because of Mr. Compton proving to be an exemplary
gentleman on and off the court,” he said.
The
league board, however, also ruled that the 33-year-old
Compton can only play for the duration of the Fiesta
Cup, where he would be treated as a second import.
Also, no
PBA team can treat the
Compton
decision as a case in point to follow suit in the
future, the league said in a statement.
“This is
on a nonprecedent basis,” Eala stressed. Compton, a
graduate of Cornell University, was unavailable for
comment. But by joining Welcoat as a player, he will be
facing former MBA stars Willie Miller, Danny Ildefonso
and Romel Adducul again. He also played in the
Philippine Basketball League (PBL).
Before
this break, the American was an assistant to Welcoat
coach Leo Austria, who was elated the shooting guard
would finally be able to pit his talent against the
PBA’s best.
Compton
would provide leadership to the youth-laden Dragons, who
finished with an abysmal 3-18 win-loss record in their
league debut.
“I’m
very happy to have him as a player,” said Austria. “He’s
an asset to any team, especially to us who are lacking
in firepower.”
Austria
compares Compton’s offense to that of three-point artist
Ren-Ren Ritualo, while bringing savvy to a team that has
Jojo Tangkay and Joel Mente still out with injuries and
veteran Denver Lopez a walking wounded.
“’His
leadership is what’s most important. We know Alex is a
winner and that’s a big thing for his teammates. It’s
different when he just shouts from the sidelines and
when he’s doing stuff on the playing court.”
Compton,
who grew up in the
Philippines
and speaks fluent Filipino, had twice applied to be
allowed to play in the PBA, but his citizenship got in
the way.
Since
leaving Montaña Jewels, which he helped to a PBL title,
Compton has kept busy as a commercial model and
television host.
Eala
noted that despite
Compton
being already 33 years of age, he can still provide
additional thrills for the fans and will help bring
about parity among the PBA teams.
“Besides, it is only fitting for Mr. Compton to finish
out his career with the PBA,” Eala said. |
