UAAP forfeits Adamson’s 11 wins after star player deemed ineligible

MANILA, Philippines – The UAAP Board of Trustees deemed Adamson Baby Falcons star player Florencio Serrano ineligible during a regular board meeting on Tuesday, January 31, leading to the forfeiture of the team’s 11 wins through 12 games in the ongoing UAAP Season 79 juniors basketball tournament.

The UAAP said in a statement on Wednesday that a unanimous vote with all the members universities duly represented at the meeting, declared Serrano ineligible after the student-athlete “failed to submit the required Secondary Student’s Permanent Record that would show/indicate his complete high school enrolments/records/credentials.”

ABS-CBN sports, the official broadcaster of the UAAP games, reported that Adamson previously mentioned the school submitted Serrano’s papers given by the student’s prior educational institution.

Previously with an 11-1 record and in great position to get the top seed entering the competition’s Final Four, the Baby Falcons fell to 0-12 and at the bottom of the league standings before the tournament’s games on Wednesday.

Adamson defeated UST’s high school team in dominant fashion, 92-58, to improve to 1-12.

The loss of Serrano also hurts the team as a whole, given that he was Adamson’s best player with averages of 19.3 points and 8.1 rebounds a game, per ABS-CBN. The star Baby Falcon was also the favorite to win the league’s MVP award. – Rappler.com