Education the main reason why Tyler Tio committed to Ateneo

MANILA, Philippines – New Ateneo Blue Eagles recruit Tyler Tio said during a mini press conference on Wednesday, March 16, that education is the main reason why he chose to commit to the university for his collegiate basketball career.

Tio was talking to a few members of the media prior to the 2016 National Basketball Training Center (NBTC) Division 1 All-Star Game and revealed he’s going to major in Management Economics. 

The degree, which is called by many Ateneo students as “MeCo,” just as Tio did at the Mall of Asia Arena, is considered one of the more difficult majors of the university.

“I think first reason is education, because the course I wanted was there, which is [Management Economics,]” the former Xavier Stallion said about his decision-making. 

“And secondly, both my siblings went to Ateneo, so I guess I was kind of used to the culture already, so [it’s an] easier transition for me.”

Tio made it clear that education was the chief motive in choosing his school. 

“For me, my thinking is, basketball should be secondary to an education,” he said. “And aside from that, I wanted to take on a bigger challenge, so I guess that’s the main reason, because you can’t play basketball forever.

“Actually, plan A is education. Plan B is basketball,” he later added.

The 5-foot-11 guard-forward declined to reveal which other universities recruited him, but did confirm both La Salle and UP were part of the list. 

Ateneo has something to offer that both schools can’t – getting to play under Philippine basketball national team head coach Tab Baldwin – which is something that also played a big role in Tio’s commitment to the Blue Eagles.

“That was one of the reasons also why I chose Ateneo, because I knew that every practice I would learn a lot from him,” he said.

Tio started practicing with the Blue Eagles on Monday. 

Citizenship questions

Tio also confirmed that “as of now, my citizenship is Canadian, but we’re working on getting a Filipino passport.”

Being a Canadian citizen was the reason why Tio could not play for Batang Gilas in previous FIBA tournaments. 

The student-athlete did not go into detail about the process, but did confirm that his parents used to be Filipino citizens who converted.

“It’s actually very complicated. They used to be Filipino, but they converted to Canadian,” he said, without specifying why his parents made that choice.

The soon-to-be Blue Eagle was born and raised in the Philippines, although since both his parents were Canadian citizens when he was born, he instantly became one too.

Tio, who turns 18 in April, did mention that he isn’t worried about any potential eligibility issues. – Rappler.com