IT has been reported that the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) first agreed to drop the age of the of student-athletes from 25 to 24 and then reversing their earlier decision. That leaves me wondering what the heck they were thinking of in the first place.
Nevertheless, I would still like to offer my thoughts on this.
I was told by a UAAP board representative that one of the reasons for the initial move was that, at age of 25, they should be in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) already, as there are younger players who are already in the pros.
Let’s debunk that.
Fact: Prior to UAAP Season 78, the league adopted a rule stating that a student-athlete “must not be 26 years old.” Then one year later, they countermand themselves and drop it down to 24.
Fact: Not every UAAP alumnus goes to the PBA.
Let’s look at the numbers:
- In the 2015 PBA Draft,
Four in the first round
Three in the second round
Five in the third round
One in the fourth round
One in fifth round
Two in the sixth round
Of the 16 UAAP alumni drafted, only 10 were on rosters for the last Commissioner’s Cup.
- In the 2014 PBA Draft,
Three in the first round
Three in the second round
Two in the third round
Of the eight UAAP alumni drafted, only four were on rosters for the last Commissioner’s Cup.
- In the 2013 PBA Draft,
Six in the first round
Seven in the second round
Four in the third round
One in the fourth round
Three in the fifth round
One in the sixth round
One in the seventh round
Of the 23 UAAP alumni drafted, only 12 were on rosters for the last Commissioner’s Cup
- In the 2012 PBA Draft,
Two in the first round
Five in the second roung
Five in the third round
Three in the fourth round
One in the fifth round
Of the 16 UAAP alumni drafted, only two were on rosters for the last Commissioner’s Cup
Here is the breakdown of UAAP alumni per team:
Phoenix—Eight
Rain or Shine—Seven
Ginebra—Seven
Mahindra—Seven
GlobalPort—Seven
Talk ’N Text—Six
BlackWater—Six
NLEX—Six
Star—Five
Meralco—Four
San Miguel—Three
Alaska—Three
Of the 69 current UAAP alumni playing in the PBA (were on rosters for the last Commissioner’s Cup), 30 were drafted in the last four years. Imagine if the PBA did not expand their number of teams from 10 to 12.
So what number of players UAAP alums are they thinking?
It is a fallacy to say that these student-athletes should be in the PBA. For many student-athletes, the UAAP is the pinnacle of their athletic careers. If you look at the high-school ranks, not many will go on to play college ball. So every level one moves up, the pool gets smaller and the competition for slots, especially in the pros, gets smaller.
It is nice to know that the UAAP has come to its senses. But what was the point behind that move that has caused undue stress?