What if Remy Martin plays in UAAP
REMY Martin is probably the most decorated Fil-foreign player we have as far as college basketball achievements are concerned. He was an All-Pac-12 player (Pac-12 is one of the major college conferences in NCAA Division 1) in the past two seasons and was the top sixth man in the same conference during his rookie year.
In his senior year, Martin averaged 19.1 points, 3.7 assists, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game. He will leave the Arizona State Sun Devils with these all-time milestones: sixth in points (1,754), second in assists (466), 10th in field goals (591), third in free throws made (396) and eighth in steals (151).
Martin still has a year of eligibility in the US NCAA but he has placed his name on the transfer portal. Apparently, he is looking at other options if he does not get drafted in the 2021 NBA Draft. There are reports some UAAP schools are reaching out to Martin’s camp so he can have his one-and-done here.
Martin can dominate
If Remy Martin does join the UAAP, in any school, then he would be dominant in more ways than Ray Parks or even any foreign import, except perhaps for Ben Mbala.
Martin averaged nearly 20 points in the Pac12, with taller and faster opponents. He would dominate the teams here and possibly score in the 30s since he will be handling the ball. He’ll be a match-up nightmare to opposing teams.
That is, unless the other colleges follow suit. Take note that corporate empires have extended their war to the school front and a move by one will definitely trigger a counter-move on the other side. If an MVP-school like Ateneo or San Beda secures Martin, the SMC-backed schools will definitely not take that sitting down.
In the UAAP, there are also other schools like NU or UST which have the financial capability to make an offer as well. Martin’s presence will definitely result in an arms race, and at the very least, we will have a much deeper talent pool in the UAAP and the level of competition will be much higher.
With the local NCAA banning foreign imports, the upper teams in the league could make a hard pursuit for Martin since he is a Fil-foreigner, and therefore, not covered by the ban on foreign student-athletes.
Still hoping the best for Martin who has been very vocal about his Filipino heritage and has even volunteered to play for the national team despite not being eligible to play as a local. If not for the Hagop Rule, we could be fielding Jordan Clarkson and Remy Martin as our worldclass backcourt tandem.
World-class talent
The vision of Gilas as an independent team was borne out of the lackluster performances of our national teams in the late 2000s. With high anticipation and fan support, (they are our PBA idols) these teams still suffered immensely due to their unfamiliarity with FIBA rules and lack of chemistry since the team is always hastily assembled due to the PBA’s schedule.
The blessing in disguise with those disappointing finishes is that our basketball stakeholders finally realized the Philippines is not the USA of Asian basketball and the Dream Team approach simply won’t cut it.
This was the vision of Gilas 1, under Coach Rajko Toroman. However, it did not succeed simply because the team did not have enough height or talent. Fast-forward to 2021, a decade later, and the program of having a full-time Gilas team training all-year round has been revived.
With more Filipinos playing professionally in international leagues, specifically, the recently signed Thirdy Ravena, Filipino players now have more career paths to choose from. Since these foreign leagues have players from their own national team, it is also in their best interest to have schedules that won’t conflict with FIBA's.
Meanwhile, the PBA can finally go about its business, but the league will likely be populated by Fil-foreigners who are not eligible based on the Hagop rule.