UAAP body to probe case of ex-Eagle?

MANILA, Philippines - With the Mark Barroca issue barely subsiding, the UAAP may find itself dealing wih another controversy involving a player’s eligibility.

News made the rounds yesterday that UAAP president Anton Montinola of FEU received a letter of complaint saying former Ateneo forward Jobe Nkemakolam allegedly lacked academic units to complete his high school studies.

But Ateneo’s board representative Ricky Palou quickly brushed off the charges, saying they can prove that Nkemakolam was eligible to play college ball.

“It’s an old issue,” Palou told The STAR. “We have the papers to prove Jobe (Nkemakolam) is eligible to play college basketball.”

Sources said the letter, reportedly furnished by a lawyer of Nkemakolam’s former girlfriend, would be presented to the board when it convenes today at the FEU campus in Morayta.

The complaint contained information, including a Department of Education certification that Nkemakolam, who suited up for Ateneo in 2004, 2007 and last year when the Eagles won the championship, lacked units to finish high school.

Montinola, however, neither confirmed nor denied the report although the board, particularly the eligibility committee chaired by Felicitas Francisco of UST, is reportedly going to tackle the issue.

Ateneo has actually received the complaint from the same lawyer as early as three weeks ago but later decided to go to the league board to present the information for the latter’s verification.

Nkemakolam had been sought by a number of collegiate schools in 2003, including La Salle, but the bull-strong, 6-4 forward ended up with Ateneo a year later.

In 2005, La Salle admitted that two of its players who saw action in 2003 and 2004 failed to pass the PEP test and subsequently forfeited all the games that the two Archers played in and the championship.