The upcoming National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Season 96 will not affect the student-athletes’ playing years in the Grand Old League.
NCAA Management Committee (ManCom) chairman Fr. Vic Calvo, OP told the Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum on Tuesday that the season shortened by the pandemic will not count towards the players’ years of eligibility.
“Ngayon, not counted,” he told the weekly webcast powered by SMART and presented by San Miguel Corp., Go For Gold, MILO, Amelie Hotel Manila, Braska Restaurant, and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation.
The league said last year that it will relax its eligibility rules for Season 96 for the athletes affected by the cancellation of Season 95 due to the COVID-19 crisis, which has been ravaging the country again the past few days.
That means graduating players unable to play their events due to the cancellation are still eligible to see action for one more year.
The graduating student-athletes from basketball, chess, swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, and badminton, on the other hand, will remain at status quo and won’t have the luxury of playing another year.
Meanwhile, Calvo said that the league will stick with its rules regarding residency following a number of transfers to NCAA schools last year.
That, of course, was headlined by the exodus of players from UST following the Bicol bubble issue. Rhenz Abando, Brent Paraiso, and Ira Batiller are now with Letran, while Jun Asuncion went to Mapua.
Former NU Bulldog JV Gallego has taken his talents to San Beda, while Will Gozum went from UP to St. Benilde.
“‘Yung residency ganun pa rin,” said Calvo, who’s also Letran’s athletic director.
The NCAA requires transferees to go through one academic year of residency before being eligible to play.
“Wala ng change doon sa residency.”
