One but not yet done
Celebrated recruit Troy Rike will not be able to suit up for the National University Bulldogs for the upcoming UAAP Season 81 Men’s Basketball Tournament.
The development was announced by the 22-year-old himself on social media platform Twitter.
In a statement, the Filipino-American Gilas cadet expressed his gratitude to NU for staying supportive all throughout this ordeal.
“I would like to thank National University, my coaches, my teammates, and management for welcoming me with open arms into the community. Although I’ve only been at NU for a short time, it really feels like home and I will always be thankful to have been part of the NU family,” his statement opened.
“Due to factors out of my control, I will not be able to play in UAAP Season 81. The news was devastating and I feel great regret that I won’t be able to take the floor with my teammates this season.”
Last July 5, Rike formally announced his intention to join the Bulldogs.
Due to a league rule covering players who already hold a college degree but plan to enter a university’s master degree program and join the varsity team, the 6-foot-7 big man no longer needed to undergo residency and was supposed to be eligible for Season 81. Rike entered NU’s masters program in Education.
However, there was one obstacle.
According to a source closely monitoring the situation, Rike could not obtain papers from the Department of Justice that would have cleared him to join the NU Bulldogs.
Still, Rike is not closing his doors on NU.
“It always has been and will always be my dream to play basketball, the game I love, in the Philippines. I hope to be able to pursue that dream here at NU and get back to playing soon,” he shared.
“I’m behind my teammates 100-percent and I’ll be cheering the squad on all season, no matter where the future may take me.”
