Will the UAAP say yes?
Of course, the PBA is hoping to get that response from the country’s premier collegiate league. But all that it could do, for now, is to keep its fingers crossed.
The league continues to wait for such after making an appeal to allow its student-athletes to apply for the upcoming 2025 PBA Draft even while in the midst of its basketball season.
“Hinihintay pa namin ang sagot ng UAAP,” Commissioner Willie Marcial told Tiebreaker Times over the phone, Friday. “Sinulatan namin sila.”
The PBA has sent a letter to UAAP Executive Director Rebo Saguisag earlier this week as it hopes to lure in more applicants for the draft in the coming years.
Currently, the league is preparing for the September 7 draft proceedings, but it remains to be seen who will be projected as the top picks of the 2025 class.
However, their recent move to reach out to the UAAP is a significant development, as it asks the latter to reconsider a rule that has been enforced for years.
It could be recalled that the schools’ athletic directors– known as the Board of Managing Directors–implemented a rule prohibiting student-athletes from joining professional league drafts during the season some time in 2013.
The decision was discussed and made shortly after Season 76, which was the last time that UAAP student-athletes entered a professional draft.
(C) PBA Images
Back then, seniors like Terrence Romeo and RR Garcia (FEU), Ryan Buenafe and Poy Erram (Ateneo), Jeric Teng (UST), LA Revilla (DLSU), and Sam Marata (UP) declared for the PBA Draft while the season was still ongoing.
The deadline for draft applications that year was on September 12, with the draft proper held on November 3 in Robinsons Manila. Both of those dates fell within the UAAP season, which ran from June 29 to October 12, 2013.
So, the ruling was made to ensure players remained focused on their respective campaigns and to prevent potential conflicts of interest, per the league.
The ruling applies to all sporting events, the reason why NU’s Alyssa Solomon wasn’t allowed to join the 2025 Korean V-League Asian Quota Draft.
It would be interesting to see how the UAAP responds to the PBA, although both parties have already coordinated before during challenging times.
Back in 2022, when the local sporting calendar was still being realigned in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, the UAAP allowed eligible seniors to submit their PBA draft applications before the May 7 deadline.
“It really serves the best interest of the student-athlete who does not have to wait for another year,” Saguisag was quoted as saying back then.
The PBA, at present, continues to wait for more applicants for its Season 50 Draft. And in order to attract more talent, aspirants still with live contracts until December–regardless of the league they play–are allowed to apply.
“Yung mga player na may kontrata pa hanggang December, regardless kung saang liga sila naglalaro, pinapayagan namin mag-apply,” Marcial said.
The deadline for submission is set on August 29 at 5 p.m. Dates for the Draft Combine and the draft proper will be announced soon.
