Titans’ Dario to skip rest of Aspirants’ Cup to focus on academics

Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

After playing in AMA Online Education’s season opener, Diego Dario will no longer see action this 2017 PBA D-League Aspirants’ Cup.

The University of the Philippines guard will sit out the rest of the conference due to conflicts with his academic schedule.

“I really wanted to play but the games will coincide with my classes,” Dario told INQUIRER.net.

With Dario out, AMA coach Mark Herrera said is now finding a replacement for his back-up playmaker.

Dario posted six points and two rebounds in his 13 minutes off the bench in AMA’s 101-95 win over Batangas last Thursday.

The 20-year-old decided to choose his classes over the D-League as he didn’t want to complicate his eligibility for the Fighting Maroons this upcoming UAAP Season 80.

“If I don’t attend my classes, I may not be able to play for UP this season. But the reason why I played in the D-League is also to improve my game,” he said.

“I’m thankful to AMA for the opportunity and I can say that I really maximized the time I had with the team and made the most out of the trainings, especially learning from older and more experienced players like Jeron (Teng) and Juami (Tiongson).”

AMA plays Cignal-San Beda next on Tuesday.