UAAP says UPIS player is ineligible

The UAAP Board declared with finality Saturday that high school player Jozhua General of the University of the Philippines Integrated School can no longer play in the juniors basketball tournament for the rest of the season.

In a released statement, the league said General “has consumed his eligibility,” thus forfeiting the Junior Maroons’ lone victory in the first round of elimination.

General graduated from sixth grade at age 11 at Naga Parochial School in Camarines Sur in 2008, then later attended Grade 7 at Lourdes School Mandaluyong where he graduated from elementary for the second time in 2010.

The league initially declared General eligible to play this season, since he still falls within the five-year eligibility rule as a 2010 elementary graduate.

But league officials recently found out that before attending Lourdes, General enrolled as a high school freshman in San Beda Taytay in 2008, then dropped out in October of the same year.

“We called UP to check their records because there has been no mention that he already attended high school in San Beda,” league secretary-treasurer Ma. Luisa Isip of host Adamson said yesterday.

“So when we found out, the league has to honor 2008 as his elementary graduation year.”

Isip said even if General only attended San Beda high school for a few months, the league had to revert to his first elementary graduation in 2008.

UPIS had appealed the decision, but the league maintained that as a 2008 elementary graduate, General already exceeded the five-school year playing window for high school athletes.

The decision forfeited the Junior Maroons’ lone victory, a grueling quadruple win over the Baby Falcons, 89-87, last July 15 where General starred.