INQUIRER Sports

MANILA, Philippines -- His collegiate basketball career given a new lease on life, Elvin Jake Pascual was one of the first players to arrive at the San Beda Red Lions’ practice on Tuesday.

It was a newfound enthusiasm, a small gesture to express his gratitude to the school and the National Collegiate Athletic Association for giving him a chance to continue his playing career.

It was a far cry from his attitude last week after he learned that the NCAA management committee decided to ban him from playing because of his involvement in the Philippine Christian University high school basketball eligibility scandal two years ago.

“Last week, I was restless and uneasy to the point that I came late and couldn’t concentrate on our practices,” the 6-foot-4 Pascual told the Inquirer in a telephone interview. “Yesterday, I was so excited to play again.”

Acting on the appeal of San Beda president Fr. Mateo De Jesus, the NCAA policy board, though, cleared Pascual on Monday, saying the former Baby Dolphin did not knowingly violate league rules on misrepresentation.

A mancom member, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of lack of authority to comment on the matter, said the decision to allow Pascual to play was because of San Beda’s appeal for compassion.

“If we’ll try to understand and dissect everything, we could easily conclude that everything is against him (Pascual),” the source said. “Yes, we are following the rule book, but the camaraderie and the feelings of all member schools are still the most important things for us.”

Pascual, whose 2006 juniors division Most Valuable Player and Rookie of the Year awards were returned to the NCAA along with the Baby Dolphins’ title, said: “I never lost hope.”

Pascual said he was merely prodded by then PCU coach Bong Sales to enroll as a third year high school student at PCU, although he was a fourth-year dropout from St. Rose Catholic School in Paniqui, Tarlac.

“I learned a lot from the incident,” Pascual said. “I wouldn’t have done it (enrolling as a third-year student), had I known about the consequences of that action.”

Pacual sees the opportunity to play again as a challenge to prove that he deserves a place in the league.

“I’m going to play my best every game,” said Pascual. “I owe this chance to the school, especially to Fr. Mateo (De Jesus), Fr. Ed (Africa), the coaching staff and my teammates. They were very supportive”.

Lions’ coach Frankie Lim said Pascual will play a key role in SBC’s drive for a third straight crown.

“He (Pascual) will definitely play more minutes,” Lim said.