Should Compton be in the PBA?

Alex Compton wants to be in the PBA. The former Sunkist guard in the PBA has already made the rounds of basketball in the Philippines. The Cornell alumnus has played in the defunct MBA, PBL and has represented the country in some international club competitions, and has made the country his permanent residence, leaving only to visit his family in Wisconsin. His older brother has even lived with Alex briefly, teaching at the Brent campus in Mamplasan before taking on another teaching assignment in China.

While many players try to fake being born in the Philippines to play basketball here, Compton’s story is the reverse. Almost thirty years ago, his parents were doing an outreach program in Cavite, when, as luck would have it, young Alexander was born in Makati Medical Center. Shortly after, his parents, both teachers, returned to the United States, never realizing their circumstances would give their youngest son the chance to return to the Philippines to make a living.

Meanwhile, Compton went on to play for Cornell University, joining noted Filipino alumni as Ado Escudero of Villa Escudero, and former senior deputy Executive Secretary Ramon Cardenas. NBA country manager for the Philippines Carlo Singson (who will be bringing the NBA Madness back to the Philippines this week) studied at nearby Brown, and recalls watching Compton play.

"He was a finisher," Singson told The Star.

Compton, meanwhile, downplayed his career at Cornell, saying he got little playing time. Nevertheless, it has been written that Compton showed a lot of leadership, and played well in the last two minutes of important games. But the best was yet to come.

When the Metropolitan Basketball Association opened in 1998, the members of MetroBall (the original governing body before it split up), was looking for a way to spice up the tournament. For certain, the quality was not going to be of professional quality right away, since many of the players would technically be rookies and many would come from the provices. So they devised a means of drawing Filipino-Americans into the league. The original rule had two provisos: to play, you had to have at least one Filipino grandparent, or you had to be born in the Philippines. Compton fit the latter category. So players like Dorian Peña, Jeff Flowers, Rafi Reavis, Rudy Hatfield, Cris Clay and others came flooding into the new league.

In the subsequent season, the second requirement was scrapped, since it would be too easy to fake papers, and there was no real way of proving if the person on the birth certificate and the player applying were one and the same. So the technicality became known in MBA circles as the "Alex Compton Rule," in honor of its only beneficiary.

Compton was always a model player, going out of his way to be friendly and helpful. He helped the Manila MetroStars and Batangas Blades become champions, and won an MVP title along the way. He became an active member of the Champions for Christ, and learned the language and customs. And he always hit the big shot, earning the nickname "The Heartbreaker," both for his looks and killer instinct.

In practice, Compton was always at the top of his game, frequently leading whichever league he played in in free throw shooting. During endurance drills, he would invariably finish first, proof of his dedication to the game.

As a starting guard for the Sunkist-UST Tigers, there was somewhat of a decline in Compton’s game recently. He was still a big scorer in the crucial minutes of the game, but no longer scored in such monster numbers, also opting to pass off to his less experienced teammates. Their inability to maximize these opportunities made it possible for defenses to squeeze the 5’11" guard, choking off some of his offense.

Many of Compton’s contemporaries from the MBA meantioned earlier have made the successful leap to the PBA. Cris Clay, the spectacular dunker from the Laguna Lakers, opted not to wait for the processing of his Department of Justice clearance, and suited up for the Sta. Lucia Realtors two years ago. The increased responsibility made him less successful than he was in the MBA. he has since gone back to playing overseas.

Compton wrote the members of the PBA Board late last year, asking to be considered for inclusion in the draft. However, the board was saddled with ways to improve this year’s tournament, after the various congressional investigations, low ratings, and controversies regarding citizenship and drugs hounded the league last season. The decision on Compton was shelved.

But Compton is running out of time. Age is starting to diminish some of his abilities, if not his tremendous will. In fairness, he has been a model citizen who could put many of the PBA’s current Fil-Ams to shame in terms of behavior towards his adopted country and its basketball fans. His record has been unmarked by either technical fouls or on-court violence. In one MBA playoff match in Cebu, he was blatantly punched in the eye and given a shiner, but refused to retaliate. This demeanor has won him endorsement contracts and high praise from friends and former teammates.

However, no matter how great a person Alex Compton is, technically he is not a Filipino, nor would it be likely for him to renounce his American citizenship for a short basketball career here (although he could). He’s always been straight, laying his cards on the table. And is he that outstanding of a talent to make an impact in the PBA big enough to justify his inclusion?

The PBA will take its time before making any statement on Compton. He is, first and foremost, an American citizen with no Filipino blood, and it would be difficult to substantiate letting him play. And he’s too small to be an import. So his only option is to rely on the good will his spotless behavior has engendered, and the open-mindedness of the PBA. Anyone would want a stand-up person like Alex Compton as a role model, on the court or off. But with some teams in the league not even opting to have Fil-Ams, will he really stand a chance of making it in? This is a decision that the PBA will make with its head (and its rules), not with its heart.

* * *

Catch The Basketball Show on ABC 5 at 3 p.m.