PBL lowers rookie age limit to 18

The Philippine Basketball League (PBL) is set to implement a more lenient age requirement next conference to strengthen its school-based grassroots development program.

League chairman Dioceldo Sy, president of DSS Product-makers, Inc., which owns Blustar Detergent, said they are close to changing the existing age limit for newcomers from 20 years old to 18 to allow aspirants to hone and sharpen their skills at a younger age.

"This is a new rule to be implemented in the next conference and we hope to use this to give younger players a venue to develop their skills by playing in the PBL," Sy, a five-term chairman, told The STAR.

In line with this, Sy said the PBL will also strictly enforce another new rule allowing teams to hire one former professional player each after the end of the season-opening second Unity Cup, tentatively scheduled March 27.

"Originally, this conference dapat i-implement ‘yung bagong rule na isang ex-pro per team kaya lang we decided it would be better to enforce it next conference na lang para maka-adjust lahat ng teams," Sy explained.

"Maganda din kasi itong rule na ito dahil bukod sa mas bibigyan natin ang mga bata na mas malaking opportunidad, bibigyan din natin sila ng bagong rason para hindi sila magamadaling mag-PBA," he added.

For the record, the league lets teams acquire a maximum of three ex-pros but not more than two can play at the same time.

Welcoat Paints has been the busiest in hiring former pros after it signed up Chester Tolomia and Marvin Ortiguerra, whose contracts with Barangay Ginebra and FedEx, respectively, had expired.

The Paint Masters were also supposed to pick up either Arnold Calo or Jojo Manalo, formerly of San Miguel Beer and Talk N‚ Text, respectively, but the age limit of 26 years old for returning PBL players barred them from doing so.

Calo, who played with Blustar before being drafted and signed to a one-year contract with the Beermen last year, and Manalo, a former Welcoat standout before gaining a brief stint with Coca-Cola and Talk n Text, are over the limit because the two are already 27 years old.

Sy also said first year players from the National Colleges Athletic Association (NCAA) are now eligible to play in the PBL but they will not be allowed to play again for their respective schools.

The old practice was NCAA players must play for at least three seasons before being allowed to see action in the league while its counterpart — the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) has a two-year rule.

"Isusunod na natin diyan ang UAAP, papaki-usapan natin sila na ganun na din ng gawin tulad ng sa NCAA," said Sy.