Future for FSAs

What happens to foreign student athletes (FSAs) after they wind up their collegiate eligibility? In the NCAA, FSAs were banned starting Season 97 in 2022 but before the prohibition, the likes of Sam Ekwe, Sudan Daniel, Donald Tankoua, Ola Adeogon, Allwell Oraeme, Hamadou Laminou and Prince Eze were fan favorites. In the UAAP, FSAs remain a fixture and among those who’ve gained their fair share of fame were two-time MVP Ben Mbala, former MVP Malick Diouf, three-time champion Ange Kouame, Charles Mammie, Karim Abdul, Alfred Aroga, Prince Orizu, Bright Akhuetie, Papi Sarr and Precious Momowei.

Kouame, an Ivory Coast native, has played for Gilas as a naturalized player since 2018 and took home a gold from the Asian Games in 2023. Although he’s still with the Gilas pool, Kouame is allowed to play in the PBA only as an import, not a local. Justin Brownlee is in the same boat. Like Kouame, he’s a naturalized player and ineligible to suit up in the PBA as a local. Imagine if Kouame and Brownlee were allowed to play as locals in the PBA, their teams would be virtually unbeatable in the All-Filipino and in the import conferences where they can be joined by a second reinforcement. That’s why naturalized players can’t be considered as locals. But there’s a way out if they were FSAs.

In the Taiwan Professional Basketball League, a team may enlist two foreign players with Taiwanese parents, four imports and an international student from a Taiwan school or an international player in EASL. FSAs are eligible to play as locals, regardless of whether they’re enrolled or not for as long as they studied in Taiwan. An example is Senegal’s 6-10, 26-year-old center Amdy Dieng who studied at National Chengchi University in Taipei and plays as a local with the Taoyuan Pauian Pilots alongside imports Alec Brown and Treveon Graham.

Perhaps, the PBA may consider making FSAs eligible for the draft as locals like in Taiwan. Guiding rules could be a team may line up only one FSA at a time, an FSA draft eligible must have stud-ied at least three years in the country or graduated from a Philippine school and may be traded only to a team without an FSA. If this is allowed, competition will be at a higher level as every team gets a chance to draft an FSA. Kouame, who plays as a naturalized player for Meralco in EASL, could then see action as a local in the PBA and it wouldn’t be an unfair advantage since other teams are able to enlist FSAs, too.

Diouf, who plays for the Zamboanga Valientes, could bring his fans from CEU and UP to the PBA. Mbala, 29, has played in Mexico, France, Korea, Spain and Turkey since leaving the UAAP. He’s now playing for Chorale de Roanne Basket in the French ProB but given the opportunity to return here, the Cameroonian wouldn’t hesitate to come back and play before his fans from South-western University and La Salle.

FSAs build a fan base when they play for their schools and if they’re allowed to move to the PBA as locals, for sure, they’ll make a difference and balance the competition. Think of Kouame with Meralco or Mbala with Magnolia or Diouf with TNT or Precious Momowei with Ginebra or Mo Tounkara with NorthPort or OJ Ojarikre with Rain or Shine. It’ll secure a future for FSAs beyond school and make the PBA even more exciting.