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UAAP: Jerie Pingoy chooses Ateneo over FEU - report


After initial reports had Far Eastern University-Diliman Baby Tamaraw Jerie Pingoy staying on with FEU when he moves up to the seniors division, the reigning back-to-back juniors division MVP may in fact be headed to Katipunan to play with the current seniors division champions Ateneo instead. The Philippine Daily Inquirer's Jasmine Payo reported Monday that Pingoy was in fact slated to become a Blue Eagle, quoting Pingoy's father Jerry, a former PBA player, as saying, "One million percent he's going to Ateneo." Ateneo team manager Paolo Trillo, in an interview with GMA News Online, confirmed the news, saying, "All I know is that they're committing to Ateneo and we're happy about that." Earlier, FEU athletic director Mark Molina had tweeted out that Pingoy had signed an agreement to stay with FEU. In light of the report by the Inquirer, GMA News Online sought confirmation from Tamaraws team manager Anton Montinola, who replied via text, "Yes we have a written contract [with Pingoy]." Trillo, when asked to comment on Pingoy's "contract" with FEU said, "I don't think we're [Ateneo] in the right position [to comment about it]," but noted, "In the end, they'll [the Pingoy family] be the ones making that decision….What matters is when they enroll." He also pointed out that a lot of schools have tried to recruit Pingoy, but that the father "made it clear that he prefers Ateneo." As of posting, GMA News Online is still waiting on a statement from the Pingoy family. Should Pingoy wind up in Ateneo, FEU has the option of invoking the so-called "Soc Rivera rule," which requires freshmen going from a UAAP-affiliated high school to a different UAAP college or university to sit out one season, unless they acquire a release from their previous school. This past season, Pingoy won his second straight juniors MVP plume, while averaging 21.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 2.3 steals versus 3.4 turnovers. Pingoy would join an Ateneo backcourt that currently has Kiefer Ravena, Juami Tiongson, Nico Elorde and Isaac Lim. FEU on the other hand is awaiting word on whether or not RR Garcia is returning to play his final year of eligibility, but they still have Terrence Romeo, Mike Tolomia, and Archie Inigo as guards. FEU recently tapped Nash Racela to be their new head coach, replacing Bert Flores. Racela was an assistant to his brother Olsen Racela, when the latter was the head coach of the RP Youth Under-18 team, which included Pingoy. - AMD, GMA News

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