Remember around August last year when we were very hyped about the 2019 PBA draft because Joshua Munzon, Troy Rike, Jason Brickman, Alvin Pasaol, Santi Santillan and of course Thirdy Ravena will be eligible and expected to join?
None of them did. So, the 2019 draft ended up as one of the least popular this century.
When Thirdy announced that he was not joining because he wanted to play in a foreign league, some of us did not believe him. The first thought that came to the minds of a lot of us was he will postpone his entry to make sure that he can be drafted by one of the teams of the MVP group.
That is the action that the PBA rule of banning an amateur player from entering the PBA if he will not join the draft in the first two years of his eligibility after he finished his college career, is trying to avoid.
If Thirdy will not join the 2020 draft, that means that it will be the 2nd draft year that he has not joined.
So, when commissioner Willie Marcial was asked about it, he said that if Thirdy will really pass more than once, he will need to ask for the permission of the board to be allowed to participate in the draft in the future.
I actually do not have a problem with the interpretation of com. Marcial. That is how the rule was stated. It is only the PBA board that can overturn it.
But, the commissioner should see that as an issue. If every time an amateur player who chose to postpone his entry to the league due to legitimate reasons wants to finally be part of the draft, needs to get the permission of the board, it could dissuade young players to spread their wings and reach better heights in foreign leagues.
Unless the PBA is all about hoarding Filipino basketball talents, the league should allow our young players to try their wares in international leagues without fear of being excommunicated from the #1 league in our country.
Exceptions should be added to the rule. The PBA should not ban the potential of our young amateur players from reaching their potential.
Comments
Post a Comment