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| If he becomes eligible this year, Mike Phillips could be among those expected to be picked early into the PBA Draft. Richard Esguerra (file photo) |
MANILA—If the PBA's plea does not go on deaf ears, there is a chance that the likes of Mike Phillips could declare for the draft sooner than expected.
As confirmed by commissioner Willie Marcial, Asia's premier play-for-pay basketball league called on the UAAP to make its student-athletes available for this year's draft even if the collegiate league's 88th season is ongoing.
The UAAP has been strict in not allowing its players to enter a pro league draft while they are not yet done with their season, although due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it set an exemption during the Season 84 bubble early in 2022 as the fast-paced season also coincided with the draft application period that time.
However, Marcial wrote a letter to UAAP executive director Rebo Saguisag to reconsider the said decision, which was set in stone in 2013.
The ruling was made so that the UAAP stars can only concentrate in what would be their last year in the amateur ranks.
The NCAA allows its graduating players to apply for the PBA Draft while their season is ongoing, provided that those who eventually got drafted should still finish their season with the collegiate league.
Marcial assured Saguisag in his letter that if the UAAP gives the green light for its ballers to join the draft, they will first need to complete their collegiate season before quickly jumping to the pros.
The appeal probably stemmed from two of the UAAP's biggest stars last year, JD Cagulangan and Kevin Quiambao quickly turning pro after they faced off in the finals.
Last January, Cagulangan and Quiambao quickly signed with Suwon and Goyang, respectively, in the KBL.
If the UAAP loosens up a bit, Phillips, who will be playing in his final year with La Salle, can apply for the Sept. 7 draft even if he is still waiting for Season 88 to start.
If the league stays adamant, the six-foot-eight power forward can only declare for the PBA Draft next year.
