Baby Falcons fall hard

What looked like a dream season for Adamson has turned into one painful campaign following the UAAP Board’s decision to forfeit the Baby Falcons’ 12 victories for fielding an ineligible player in UAAP Season 79 juniors basketball.

The UAAP Board unanimously voted to suspend Adamson gunner Encho Serrano after the school “failed to submit the necessary documents to indicate his complete high school enrollment, credentials, and records.”

“The UAAP Board of Trustees, by a unanimous vote with all members duly represented, declared Florencio Serrano ineligible to play for Season 79,” Eligibility Commission chair Rodrigo Roque said in a letter to Adamson UAAP Board representatives Rev. Fr. Aldrin Suan and Rev. Fr. Andrew Bayal dated Jan. 31, 2017.

An Adamson team official said the school will appeal the league’s decision.

“The university will not resort to violating the league rules just to win a championship,” the official said. “We will respect whatever decision the board will come up after the appeal.”

The same official added Adamson merely submitted the academic records given to them by Serrano’s previous school, Mapua. Serrano graduated from Jose Escaler Elementary School in Pampanga and dropped out as a freshman at St. Vincent for two straight years.

When Serrano was recruited by Mapua, he used his record from Jose Escaler to enroll since it took awhile for St. Vincent to release his documents, the official said.

“There was no intention to cheat,” said the source. “We feel bad for Encho because the issue made it appear that he’s lying.”

The 5-foot-11 Serrano, 17, has taken the league by storm, leading the MVP race with an average of 19.3 points, on 58 percent shooting, and 8.1 rebounds as the Baby Falcons zoomed to 12 straight wins. The decision has caused a major shakeup in the Final Four race with defending champion Nazareth School of National University taking top spot with an 11-1 record.