June 23, 2013: UAAP & NCAA

The past two weekends once again gave way to the launch of the two most popular collegiate leagues in the country: the UAAP and the NCAA. Beamed nationwide via TV, both leagues are by default the top destinations of the best young players in the land who all dream of making it to the big leagues one day. And for us fans, they are now the only local leagues that we follow regularly whether on TV or through the news, next only to the PBA which is currently on its offseason. And with both the NBA and PBA on recess, it’s the only basketball on TV these days.

Through the years, both leagues have turned into the de facto top amateur leagues for all non-professional players seeking to make it to the PBA. There was a time when a mid-level amateur league like the Philippine Basketball League served as the stepping stone of many towards the PBA. Those days are gone with the UAAP and the NCAA producing pros fresh out of college. Today’s PBA D-League is taking over the PBL’s role but it’s nowhere near the UAAP and NCAA in terms of following and image. It’s today’s version of a temporary oasis for fresh graduates who couldn’t make it to the PBA and who buy time to improve their craft and earn a living as well. It comes at no surprise then that the UAAP and NCAA’s top players make it easily through the drafting of rookies without the aid of the PBA D-League. Although some do play in the PBA D-League, their collegiate stints have become  the major factor for their being picked in the draft, very similar to the way the NBA picked players fresh out of college through the NAB draft which took place on Friday. Looking at the PBA’s last drafting, Calvin Abueva is the classic example of the quick college to pros movement. Hardly had he packed up his stuff at San Sebastian College when he joined the Alaska Aces and made a huge impact on the spot. Cebu’s June Mar Fajardo landed in the Asean Basketball League (ABL) fresh out of playing for the University of Cebu. Many others have also moved from college to the pros, and although they may not be superstars, they are on the right track in building their pro careers.

Having said all these though, we get to go back and ask ourselves whether these leagues are supposed to do only that: turn college players to pros. At times, we forget that the UAAP and NCAA teams are schools and these players are college students studying to earn a degree in a course they signed up for when they chose to go to school. Like all the other college students, they’re students hoping to use their college degrees to get jobs out in the corporate world or public sector. Note that there’s no such thing as a B.S. degree in basketball for the basketball players. Or is there a special course or degree that prepares a college player for the pros? And this also leads us to another thought. How many college players actually make it to the pros? Do all have equal chances of joining their idols in the PBA? Let’s face it. Reality has proven that only the best of the best college players make it to the PBA. All others disappear in thin air and/or venture into the PBA D-League, play for a minor commercial team in small leagues across the country, or end up jobless. Many don’t even continue their studies after four or five years of having the minimum required load of 12 to 15 units per semester.

We hope that all school-based teams can review its goals, systems and programs especially when it comes to the college degree statistic. How many of their players go on to finish their degrees in college in a legitimate and truthful manner? How many of their players are shoo-ins to make it to the PBA? How many players don’t have a chance to earn a living from basketball and will have to find a job after college? Most importantly, are these players ready for the real world out there when basketball no longer becomes a friendly source of income for them? Our fear today is that some college teams might be run like commercial basketball teams. Win at all costs at the expense of education. College players in this case are like pro players who are “hired” to play, regardless of what happens in school: whether one studies or not. Some even say that these students don’t even go to classes at all.

We must all remember that being in school is just a phase in one’s life that’s supposed to prepare him for the bigger life up ahead in one’s future. The real world out there is not about basketball. After all, one can’t play basketball forever, can he? College athletes must use their talents to the fullest but also lean on this talent to prepare themselves for the bigger, more important stage in life in the future. Getting an athletic scholarship is a great way to earn a college degree and not too many have this unique opportunity. Athletes are a rare find and are given this gift of a free education which is sought by so many thousands of others. To waste this opportunity is tantamount to wasting one’s life. At the end of the day, we must all remember that the college years are years spent to prepare people for life and not just basketball.

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Time-out: Happy birthday to Popoy Navarro, Caecent No-ot-Magsumbol & Jed Cabellon. >>> You can reach me at [email protected].