UE’s Pumaren okay with new UAAP rule on foreigners

MANILA, Philippines – University of the East Red Warriors head coach Derrick Pumaren is “okay” with the UAAP’s new rule for foreign players in its men’s basketball tournament.

It was announced by UAAP Secretary Treasurer Rod Roque on Tuesday, November 18, that the collegiate sports league will limit its men’s basketball teams to just one import per team next season and will stop the recruitment of foreigners entirely beginning 2015.

UE, who finished 9-5 in the 2014 men’s basketball tournament, had two imports in uniform: Charles Mammie and Moustapha Arafat. Only one of them will be eligible starting next season, but their head coach has no ill feelings towards the league for the change in rule.

He also doesn’t mind the UAAP’s plans to halt the usage of foreign players.

“For me, okay lang sa akin (it’s okay with me) if there’s foreign players. [It’s] okay if there’s none. It’s fine,” Pumaren told Rappler on Tuesday.

“That’s the rule so we just have abide by the rule,” he said.

Pumaren says he knew of the rule change long before it was announced.

“Well, I knew that already from start that next year (Season 78) there’s going to be a one foreign player,” he said. “It’s nothing new to me. From the start of [UAAP Season 77] alam ko na (I already knew).”

Pumaren, who took over the UE head coaching job left by Boyce Zamar’s departure before Season 77, says the UAAP planned to implement the one foreigner per team in 2014, but a voting process between the league’s schools stopped it.

“They were supposed to do it this season eh, but I think there was a voting since some of the players did their two-year residency,” he referred to players who completed their two-year residency policy for foreigners. “[So] in Season 77, na-allow.”

When asked who from Arafat or Mammie will play for UE next season, Pumaren said: “I’m not yet sure.”

Roque said stopping the recruitment of foreigners will allow Filipino athletes more scholarship opportunities and college careers. Fil-foreigners, however, will still be allowed to play “dahil may dugong Pinoy naman ‘yan (because they have Filipino blood),” he said.

Roque also said that there are plans of opening the 2015 men’s basketball tournament in the second week of August rather than its usual July tip off. – Rappler.com