UAAP Season 87 basketball tournament brings changes to Junior High School division, courtside reporter picks, and residency rules

On Wednesday, 4 September 2024, the University Atheltic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) held its Season 87 Collegiate Basketball Press Conference at Novotel Manila Araneta City Hotel. The conference comes just a few days before the opening of the tournament on 7 September 2024.

At the press conference were members of the UAAP board of Managing Directors as well as the head coaches of the men’s and women’s basketball teams of the member schools. Representing Ateneo de Manila University in the press conference were Mr Emmanuel T Fernadez, Athletic Director; Mr Thomas Anthony "Tab" Baldin, Head Coach for the Ateneo Blue Eagles men's basketball team; and Mr Lawrence Anthony "LA" Mumar, Head Coach for the Ateneo Blue Eagles women's basketball team.

One of the main topics of the press conference was the many changes coming to the league this season. For one, the UAAP's Under-16 Junior High School basketball tournament will now be part of the regular season. This tournament began as a demonstration tournament in Season 86 earlier this year, with seven of the eight UAAP schools joining. As part of this transition, the Under-16 division games will also now be broadcast live.

Season 87 also marks the return of having courtside reporters from each school. Each of the eight schools will have a courtside reporter taken from their own student body. For this Season 87, Ateneo's courtside reporter will be Vicsi Burgos (AB Comm '27).

When asked why she wanted to become a courtside reported, Burgos stated that she was motivated by her "love for the UAAP."

This season also sees the introduction of the new rule for member-to-member collegiate transferees. As with the previous rule. student-athletes transferring from one UAAP school to another will still need to sit out for one year. However, they will now lose two years of their eligibility during this period.

“The UAAP, as a collegial body, decided that any transfer made after the academic year 2023-2024, aside from the usual residency requirement – from school to school, member school to member school – will be charged a residency period, and that said residency will be considered as an eligibility year. But instead of just one, it will now be two,” stated Atty Rebo Saguisag, UAAP Executive Director.

He added "In simpler terms, the residency period will remain the same, but only the playing years of the transferee will be affected."

When asked whether the new rule could be detrimental to student athletes, Atty Saguisag stated that the league always considers the welfare of student-athletes when implementing such policies.

"However, let me state for the record that all of us in this room agree that the welfare of each and every student-athlete is of paramount importance. There is no question about that,” he stated, referring to the UAAP Board of Managing Directors and men’s and women’s basketball head coaches from the member schools, present at the event.

However, he pointed out that the league also needed to consider the interests of everyone involved in it, including that of the member schools.

Meanwhile, Blue Eagles Coach Tab Baldwin said that the new rule will not affect the team.

"That’s an administrative rule that does not have anything to do with our operations and coaching," he said. "We’ll just comply."

The UAAP Season 87 men's basketball tournaments kick off this Saturday, 7 September at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, with a game between the Ateneo Blue Eagles and the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons. Meanwhile, the women's tournaments begins the day after, 8 September at Adamson Gym, again with a match between Ateneo and UP.