NCAA To Go All-Filipino, No To Foreign Student Athletes?!

Tapping foreign players as reinforcements in the NCAA may soon be a thing of the past.

Letran College, host of the upcoming Season 88 of the NCAA, is planning to limit players seeing action in the league to pure-blooded Filipinos or those with Filipino lineage to level the playing field.

“Everyone knows we raised this issue before,” said Letran rector and NCAA president Fr. Tamerlane Lana, OP, during the official turnover ceremonies at Letran’s St. Thomas Building in Intramuros, Manila the other day.

“We’re discussing the matter again but the league has no official stand regarding the issue for now. Hopefully, when we meet again a month from now, we will be able to talk things out and make an official stand on it,” he added.

School officials have actually broached the idea of banning foreign players last season but nothing came out of it.

San Beda has won championships with help from foreign players like Nigerian Sam Ekwe and American Sudan Daniel.

Incidentally, another Nigerian, Ola Adeogun was supposed to suit up this season after completing residency but was banned for a season as a spectator for entering an official game in a brawl at San Beda gym last December.

Adeogun’s ban though is expected to be reduced to a two-game suspension if he passes the eligibility requirement for players in the coming season.

source: Philstar