Recruitment of foreign players in UAAP to stop beginning next year

MANILA, Philippines – The UAAP is planning to stop the practice of recruiting foreign players to join the tournament once the head of each member school approves an alteration in the rules submitted by the league board.

If the change pushes through, playing foreigners will not anymore be allowed by 2015, in which the UAAP will have its 78^th season.

University of the East’s Rod Roque mentioned the news during yesterday’s PSA (Philippine Sportswriters Association) forum in Shakeys, Malate. 

“We are moving into stopping recruitment of foreign players,” he mentioned, before adding that “eventually, there will be no foreign players in the UAAP.”

 Right now, each club in the league’s men’s senior’s basketball tournament fields a foreign recruit. Some of them include UST big man Karim Abdul, UE cager Charles Mammie, FEU mainstay Anthony Hargrove, and incoming DLSU stalwart Ben Mbala.

In previous seasons, the UAAP allowed each basketball club to have two foreigners in its line-up, with the condition that only one could play while the other rests on the bench. Furthermore, abroad recruits are required to undergo two years of residency prior to suiting up for their respective universities.  

Roque also clarified: Foreigners that have already played in the UAAP or have been going through the residency period prior to Season 78 will still be allowed to participate in the competition. However, moving forward, teams will no longer be allowed to recruit foreigners in order to give more opportunities to Filipino athletes. 

The eight school presidents are expected to meet sometime in the next few weeks to discuss the rule change. If the UAAP opts to go through with it, that means they would be following the footsteps of a rival institution, the NCAA, which has already implemented banning the recruitment of foreign players beginning 2015, as well. – Rappler.com