Recruitment rears ugly head again

The report was just a bit implausible, but at the same time, it could not be ignored.

As the account goes, National University Bulldogs coach Eric Altamirano had taken an  interest in this player who had just graduated from a high school that had recently won a championship.

Aware that there were other teams in the UAAP and NCAA which were just as interested in acquiring the services of the young lad for collegiate basketball, Eric  moved fast  and immediately touched base with the boy’s father, who acts as his manager.

It’s not clear if the two parties ever got to sit down on the negotiating table, but from what the Inquirer gathered,  the father submitted  a piece of document  to the  National University athletic office, containing a list  of what  he (the father) was asking for if his son were to play for the Bulldogs.

Among others, the list reportedly included a house and lot,  a sports utility vehicle and  a scholarship not only for the player but also for his four siblings, all the  way to the masteral level.

Unbelievable! I just had to see for myself if this document truly exists.

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All afternoon long yesterday, we tried to get in touch with coach Altamirano, but he could not be reached.

We called NU athletic director Junel Baculi instead.

Junel confirmed there had been a meeting between  Coach Eric and the player’s father, but he was not in the meeting.

“Eric just gave me an account of what transpired in that meeting,” Junel said. “Yes the father was asking for the moon and stars. And to think that his boy  is only going to play in the  college level. We just scrapped the boy off our list of prospects and thought no more about him.”

“Hindi namin pinapatulan ang mga ganyan (We don’t give those propositions a second look). Good luck to  him.”

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HOOPVINE:  Ronnie Dizer,  dean of UP’s college of Human Kinetics, announced the other day  the  appointment of  Rey Madrid as the head coach of the UP Maroons, his  personal choice from seven other candidates  that  reportedly include  Allan Gregorio, NLEX team consultant and UPIS coach; Robert Sison, Big Chill coach; Paolo Mendoza, Derulo coach; Glenn Capacio,  Globalport assistant coach;  Jojo Villa, former UP assistant coach; Loreto Tolentino, former PCU coach; and Jobe  Nkemakolam, former Ateneo player. Dizer told Inquirer scribe Jasmine Payo that he does not expect the UP Maroons to be competitive until after two to three years. In other words, he expects Madrid to carry on with  the  Maroons’ losing tradition. Nobody loves a loser, Mr. Dizer! … Unable to attend  the couple’s wedding reception, the Ateneo volleyball team hosted a dinner for newlyweds Lino Cayetano and volleybelle Fille Cainglet  to make up. Lino and Fille recently tied the knot, reportedly in Cebu.