Graduation time - A look at who are moving on from the UAAP

Nothing lasts forever, especially not collegiate careers. Every end of a season in the UAAP is the end as well for several players who have proudly hit the hard court, wearing their school's colors. No matter how great a player you are, your time as a student-athlete is finite. Sooner or later, it's time to move on. According to UAAP rules, players can log, at the most, five playing years. The other factor that might lead to a player hanging up his jersey is age - one cannot be more than 25 years old as of the July 31 of the relevant UAAP season/year. In the same vein, once you've gone seven years out of high school, your time as a college player is up. Which teams will return intact, and which squads need to hit the recruitment trail hard to fill in their gaps? Find out below. Adamson University Soaring Falcons

• Alex Nuyles (SG/SF) - 6.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.9 assists
• Eric Camson (PF/C) - 14.5 points, 40.4 percent 3PT 9.1 rebounds, 1.9 assists
• James Deans (PG) - 0.7 assists
• Jeff Olalia (SG/SF) - 0.9 points, 1.1 rebounds
• Allen Etrone (G) - 5.4 points, 1.6 rebounds, 0.8 steals

Adamson entered the season hoping to be competitive with their 'Big Three' of Nuyles, Camson and Rodney Brondial, but Nuyles figured in just four games before needing season-ending surgery, while Camson only heated up after the first round. Come Season 76, both will be gone for good though, but luckily, swingman Jericho Cruz has shown that he's ready to take on the scoring chores, while big man Rodney Brondial could take another leap forward in terms of improvement. Brondial though may move down to the power forward spot, should 6'8" behemoth Ingrid Sewa get cleared to play, forming another powerful trio. Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles

• Greg Slaughter (C) - 13.1 points, 9.8 rebounds, 2.8 blocks
• Justin Chua (PF/C) - 5.2 points, 2.5 rebounds
• Nico Salva (F) - 14.1 points, 49.7 percent FG, 5.0 rebounds, 1.6 assists
• Oping Sumalinog (SG/SF) - 2.6 points, 2.6 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 0.7 steals, 0.6 blocks
• Tonino Gonzaga (SG/SF) - 3.1 points, 2.4 rebounds, 0.8 assists

Is a six-peat possible? On paper, the players exiting alone make it seem like a dicey proposition. Replacing a 7'0" center will always be difficult, but in addition, Chua could have started on other teams, while Salva's hyper-efficient mid-range game will definitely be missed. Then on defense, Sumalinog and Gonzaga were easily on Ateneo's list of top five perimeter players. Their hustle will definitely be missed. That said, Ateneo does not lack for wing players to fill that particular void. Expect more minutes from Von Pessumal and Gwynne Capacio, while Fil-Am Chris Newsome is set to debut. Up front though is where all the questions lie. Will JP Erram come back from ACL surgery at 100 percent? Can Kris Porter and Gideon Babilonia make strides? If not, do the Eagles have another dominant back-to-the basket center hiding somewhere? [FTW: Is a sixth straight title possible for Ateneo?] De La Salle University Green Archers

• Jovet Mendoza (PF) - 5.1 points, 4.1 rebounds
• Joshua Webb (SG/SF) - 2.0 points, 2.1 rebounds

All the major players in La Salle's run to the Final Four return, making this a team to watch, and an easy pick for next season's Finals. They'll miss the hustle and scrappy play of Jovet Mendoza, but that opens the door for Papot Paredes and Ponso Gotladera to enter their rotation. Webb's production and minutes have gone down each year, and his 8.5 minutes a game could be given to Jarelan Tampus, or even high-flyer Gabby Reyes. The Archers also have several Fil-foreigners brewing on their developmental team. While it's not quite clear who among them are eligible to play by next season, it's safe to say that this team will remain stacked. How they distribute touches with Rookie of the Year Jeron Teng, who will only get better, will likely be the main problem for the coaching staff to solve. [FTW: The future is green for DLSU] Far Eastern University Tamaraws

• Clarence Foronda (C) - 1.5 points, 1.5 rebounds
• Mark Bringas (PF) - 3.7 points, 2.4 rebounds

FEU was a team characterized by their guard play last season. Part of that is because it's inevitable when you have RR Garcia and Terrence Romeo dominating the ball. Moreover, when Anthony Hargrove did get the ball, he wasn't very effective (just 7.6 points per game). Meanwhile, his front court partner, Arvie Bringas, spent a good amount of time off the court serving suspensions, instead of being on the court. Next year however, Hargrove and Bringas will need to up their level of play, as the Tams lose their safety nets up front. Foronda and the elder Bringas brother were never spectacular, but they were able to buy minutes of rest for the starters or spell their counterparts when they were forced to the bench because of foul trouble. And while no one knows whether or not RR Garcia will be back to play out his final year of eligibility, Far Eastern has yet another prolific point guard from their juniors team in Jerie Pingoy, ready to make the leap. [FTW: The end of FEU's Final Four streak] National University Bulldogs

• Emmanuel Mbe (C) - 12.9 points, 11.5 rebounds, 0.9 blocks

This season's hosts will lose the services of just one player, Emmanuel Mbe, but it's still a huge loss for the Bulldogs. Mbe was the only post-up presence the Bulldogs had on a team full of slashers and shooters. His back-up, Henri Betayene, is more than capable of filling in for him on defense, but his offense still has a long way to go. NU also has some guys ready to make the leap on to their Team B. RP Youth Team captain JJ Alejandro might challenge Gelo Alolino for the starting job, while Alfred Aroga and AJ Henson are two more big men who can spread the floor. Again though, in the case of the latter two, neither have the post game Mbe has, which might be a problem come next season. [FTW: Where will the NU Bulldogs go from here?] University of the East Red Warriors

• Erwin Duran (F) - 1.7 points, 1.3 rebounds
• Gene Belleza (SG) - 7.3 points, 2.1 rebounds, 1.9 assists
• Jai Flores (PF) - 1.9 points, 2.4 rebounds

There was a stretch in the second half of the season where Gene Belleza was the hottest shooter in the UAAP. His production eventually petered out though, which means guys like JR Sumido (19 points in their last game of the season) and Bong Galanza have to be able to hit shots when superstar point guard Sumang throws them a kick-out pass as the defense collapses on his drive. One other guy who could be the go-to target of Sumang's nifty assists is transferee Gino Jumao-as, who could finally be making his collegiate debut, after the former San Sebastian Staglet standout bounced around from San Sebastian, to FEU, and now to UE. They also have a foreign big man or two on their Team B that will allow them to move Chris Javier to his more natural power forward spot. University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons

• Mike Gamboa (PG) - 3.4 points, 1.5 rebounds 1.4 assists
• Robby Weirzba (G) - 0.4 points
• Alinko Mbah (C) - 1.6 points, 2.2 rebounds, 0.8 blocks
• Mark Lopez (SG/SF) - 8.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.2 steals
• Alvin Padilla (SG/SF) - 7.6 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.4 steals
• Jelo Montecastro (PG) - 5.4 points, 61.5 percent FG, 1.4 rebounds, 1.5 assists
• Mike Silungan (SG/SF) - 10.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.0 steals
• Diony Hipolito (SF) - 2.6 points, 2.6 rebounds

UP will see a whopping eight players graduate, with seven holdovers looking to improve on their dismal last-place finish. First on their minds will be replacing the production of Silungan, Lopez and Padilla. That troika represented UP's top three scorers, and each of them also normed at least one steal, which often kick-started their fast break attack. Less worrisome will be the departures of point guards Mike Gamboa and Jelo Montecastro, and of center Alinko Mbah. Rookie Henry Asilum turned heads with his strong play, and Mikee Reyes, if he's finally healthy, could put on a Maroon uni once more. As for Mbah, he was essentially a non-factor after getting heavy minutes in Season 74, thanks to Chris Ball and Raul Soyud outplaying him. UP also has one more foreign center currently on their Team B. University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers

• Melo Afuang (PF/C) - 1.9 points, 3.1 rebounds, 0.8 assists
• Jeric Fortuna (PG) - 8.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 1.2 steals

This season's runners-up also come back largely intact, losing just two players to graduation, but unlike DLSU, one player, Jeric Fortuna, was not just a starter, but the guy who ran the team, to the tune of five assists a game. Fortuna also tied center Karim Abdul for most minutes averaged on the squad, 34 per game, and when he was out, the team would often opt to go point guard-less, with Clark Bautista or Kevin Ferrer assuming ball-handling chores. Because their nominal back-up point guard Robin Tan played just one game during the entire Season 75, it's likely UST will instead reach into their Team B to fill Fortuna's shoes, returning Jon Sheriff to their roster, from Season 74, or bringing up John Whitfield, or both. Melo Afuang was an athletic big man who could play both the 4 and 5, but with him gone, Robert Hainga could see more playing time as Abdul's reliever, after logging just five minutes all year. -- OMG, GMA News