There’s no denying for College of St. Benilde head coach TY Tang that foreign student-athletes help raise the competition in the NCAA.
He said as much when asked about his take on the Grand Old League’s decision to bar FSAs starting Season 96 in Tiebreaker Vodcasts’ Coaches Unfiltered, Thursday.
“Having an import playing with us, I think it would just get everybody on a higher level of competition,” Tang said in the podcast presented by SMART.
“Having a six-foot-nine high-leaper, big strong body in the paint — that’s gonna give our guards a hard time, even our local. It’s an added spice on how we play the game.”
FSAs have long been part of the college game, but that may no longer be the case as the league remains firm on its stance.
In the PSA Forum earlier this week, Fr. Vic Calvo, OP of Letran said that foreign players do more harm than good while emphasizing the NCAA’s point.
He would then explain the 10 reasons why the Management Committee banned the imports in a story on Out From The Box.
Should that remain the case, then the league has seen the last of FSAs in Season 95, where a total of four foreigners saw action.
St. Benilde had Clement Leutcheu; San Beda had Donald Tankoua and Arnaud Noah; and Lyceum had Mike Nzeusseu.
The league’s decision has drawn reactions online, particularly from athletes, with most of them feeling that the ruling is out-of-date.
But for Tang, should FSAs be no longer allowed, it could also mean opportunities for the local players raring to strut their stuff.
“But I also want to say that if we’re going to play without the import anymore during this time, then there’s going to be more opportunity for the locals to step up,” he said.
“Our country today has been very much more competitive, [with] a lot of raw talents in every corner of our islands. And so it’s also a good opportunity for all these guys to be more inspired and be more motivated to try and get better in their position.”
