Four student-athletes will see action in the 2021 Chooks-to-Go VisMin Super Cup after properly securing their special guest licenses.
Arellano University’s Jordan Sta. Ana, Rich Guinitaran, and CJ Pamaran, and Shane Menina went through the proper channels to retain their amateur status when they play in the country’s first-ever professional basketball league in the south.
“They will not automatically qualify as a professional athlete. They will be permitted to play in a professional league as a guest player for a limited period,” said Games and Amusements Board chairman Baham Mitra.
“We have already approved their applications. No one from the Management Committee had second thoughts in approving it,” said Arellano athletic director Peter Cayco.
Sta. Ana has been with Arellano since 2019. He played for the Chiefs in the NCAA Season 95 3×3 Basketball tournament. The 6-foot guard will play for Roxas Vanguard in the Mindanao leg, which begins on May 20.
Guinitaran and Pamaran transferred to Arellano last year after playing for Centro Escolar University. Both ex-Scorpions will play for the Pagadian Explorers of Mindanao.
Menina’s SGL, on the other hand, had MJAS Zenith — the company backing Visayas’ Talisay City — as a sponsor to keep his eligibility with University of Cebu intact.
Late October, the National Collegiate Athletic Association approved a resolution allowing their student-athletes to play in pro leagues like VisMin, PBA, Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3×3, NBL-Pilipinas, Philippines Football League, and Premier Volleyball League if the student-athlete receives proper endorsement from the league.
It also allows NCAA coaches to coach in the professional ranks, lifting the restrictions set by the league before.
