The NCAA Season 92 Mythical Five Team: Mapua’s Allwell Oraeme, Arellano’s Jio Jalalon, Perpetual Help’s Bright Akhuetie, San Beda’s Donald Tankoua, and Emilio Aguinaldo College’s Hamadou Laminou. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
The NCAA has decided to ban foreign student-athletes across all sports, as per the league’s management committee chairman Frank Gusi.
According to Gusi, no foreign player will be allowed to suit up by Season 96 regardless if he or she has playing years left.
“We talked about it during our policy board meeting that foreign players will only play until Season 95 so they won’t be allowed by Season 96,” said Gusi in Filipino.
READ: Excess imports
Gusi believes that by not having any foreign player, the playing field will be more balanced.
“Not having any foreign player makes participation of teams almost equal,” Gusi told INQUIRER.net in Filipino.
“If you will ask me, I am in favor if there is no foreign player. I don’t know about the others.”
READ: Quo vadis, collegiate ‘imports?’
Foreign players have dominated the league for the past several years. Two seasons ago, Jio Jalalon was the lone player with Filipino blood included in the Mythical Five while all individual awards were won by imports.
Nigerian Allwell Oraeme, who was a former center at Mapua, won back-to-back MVP awards starting Season 91 where he was also named Rookie of the Year.