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A foreigner's thoughts on imports in the UAAP


The following originally appeared on Itunu Kuku's Facebook page, in response to a recent FTW episode entitled 'Doug Kramer's thoughts about UAAP imports.' We asked for Mr. Kuku's permission to reproduce the note in its entirety here.

The author, during his time as a student-athlete with Ateneo. Kevin Ochoa

On a recent episode of GMA’s FTW, Doug Kramer, former Ateneo Blue Eagle and current PBA star, decried the presence of foreign centers or big men in UAAP basketball due to the detrimental effect they were having on the development and exposure of local bigs. What ensued was a very interesting debate that I have decided to throw my two cents into.

As interesting as the debate is, I feel the only reason we are having it is because of what I call an over-professionalization of the UAAP. I doubt that the UAAP was established in order to be a developmental league for the PBA as Doug Kramer makes it seem. Rather, collegiate sports provide an opportunity for students gifted with exceptional sporting abilities to further develop their talents, while also developing personally through the internalization of values such as discipline and team spirit.

Proposing a policy that would restrict the ability of foreign students to participate in collegiate sports and deprive them of these opportunities is not only unfair, but borders on discriminatory.

The over-professionalization of the UAAP actually begins as early as high school, as demonstrated by a recently-amended residency policy that slaps players transferring from one UAAP high school to another UAAP university with a two-year ban from playing in the UAAP.

When we speak of student-athletes, we notice that ‘student’ comes first. Can we go back to treating UAAP athletes as students please? A number of foreign players have graced the UAAP, not because they were recruited from abroad, but because they were simply students who found themselves for one reason or another in the Philippines, and exhibited an exceptional amount of talent. Zion Laterre, Kirk Long and several other players fall into this category. Is it fair that these students should lose the ability to play simply because their passports state they are foreigners?

Secondly, it has been three years since I left the Philippines and three years since I was a foreign UAAP athlete myself. However, if my memory serves me correctly, the UAAP already had a policy in place restricting the number of foreign players on a team to two, as well as a decree stating that (at least in basketball) the two foreign players cannot be on the court at the same time. If such a rule already exists (I'll save the debate on whether this is fair or not for another day) then why do we need further rules regulating foreign players in the UAAP?

Another element to this debate that is quite problematic is how the presence of imports is immediately seen as a threat and never as an opportunity. Perhaps this has to do with an unfortunate Filipino characteristic of underestimating Filipino abilities or a colonial mentality that sees anything foreign as inherently better. I don’t believe that a foreign center will automatically be a better player than a Filipino center, or that an import’s presence will instantly challenge the local’s place on the team. Controlling for size and experience, it will be hard work that makes the difference between the two athletes and not their nationality. If indeed the foreign player is better, then the local ones can learn from their teammate and improve their skills by matching up against him in practice. As this practice begins to pay off, surely a smart coach will reward it with increased amounts of playing time in the games that count.

Lastly, I think we are also forgetting that the UAAP is more than just basketball. Perhaps there is a problem with too many foreign ‘bigs’ in UAAP basketball, but I doubt that that is an issue that table tennis has to deal with. Any decision made by the UAAP will undoubtedly affect all the other sports and this is obviously unfair.

I’m not saying that this is a moot issue and that nothing needs to be done. I think that coaches and scouts need to find and promote more local talent and should resist the temptation to take the easy way out by recruiting from abroad. Other proposals to improve the quality of local big men in the UAAP and other leagues should by all means be pursued. However, to further limit the number of foreign athletes in any way is in my humble opinion not the road the UAAP should take.

Nigerian Itunu Kuku is a graduate of the Ateneo de Manila University (batch 2010), with a degree in Development Studies, and minors in French Studies and Global Politics. He lived in the Philippines from 2003-2010.

As an athlete in the UAAP, he won a gold medal in Season 73 in the high jump and triple jump competitions.

He currently works in Dakar, Senegal with World Vision Senegal, and covers songs on YouTube, including several OPM tracks.
Tags: uaap
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