UAAP adopts stricter FIBA standards, suspension Rules

FIBA instructor Mohammed Al Amiri

UAAP basketball is bringing its basketball officiating closer to the FIBA rulebook in Season 89, with stricter enforcement of bench behavior and a new suspension system for student-athletes and coaches who repeatedly commit infractions.

UAAP basketball commissioner Jai Reyes said referees will place greater emphasis on bench decorum.

“The most important point in aligning with FIBA is that our officials can already enact these standards,” Reyes said during Tuesday’s UAAP Season 89 Collegiate Basketball press conference at Novotel Manila Araneta City.

The league prepared its officials for the changes through a refresher course conducted from July 15 to 23 by FIBA instructor Mohammed Al Amiri.

Reyes said the goal is not simply to change how games are officiated, but also to familiarize UAAP players and coaches with standards they could encounter when they move on to international competition.

“So, the UAAP is here to educate our student-athletes. So, we want everybody to be ready when they step out of the UAAP to bigger stages,” he said.

Bench behavior will be among the areas most closely monitored this season.

“Technically, bench decorum will be our main point of concern as instructed by our FIBA foreign instructor,” Reyes said.

Two FIBA officials who observed UAAP games also identified bench conduct as an area where the league could further align itself with international standards.

“We had two FIBA officials come to the Philippines and observe our games. They observed that bench decorum must be aligned more closely with FIBA standards. So, coaches, there may be more technical fouls this year, so keep your benches in control.”

The UAAP will likewise apply a structured suspension system for repeated violations.

A student-athlete will receive a suspension after two unsportsmanlike fouls, depending on the gravity. For technical fouls, a player’s third technical foul will trigger a suspension, with every two additional technical fouls resulting in another suspension. A suspension will still disqualify a student-athlete from any post-season award.

Head coaches will be suspended after accumulating three technical fouls, followed by another suspension for every two additional technical fouls. Bench technical fouls will also be charged to the head coach under the system.

The count will reset during the playoffs.

Referees will also be encouraged to distinguish between meaningful and marginal contact.

“Referees will allow play to continue if they deem or feel like the contact does not affect the play. I think this will also minimize or make our game time faster. The IRS will also be faster,” Reyes said.

“The goal is for our athletes and coaches and even officials to be ready for FIBA competitions on the world stage,” he said.

‘One-and-dones’ face one-year residency starting Season 90

The UAAP will also change its eligibility policy for master’s student-athletes, with graduate transfers required to spend a year in residence before they can play beginning Season 90.

UAAP executive director Atty. Rebo Saguisag announced the prospective change during the league’s Season 89 press conference.

“We’re trying to address the so-called one-and-done phenomenon. It was legislated some time last year, but it will be prospective in nature,” Saguisag said.

Under the current rules, an athlete who has already graduated from a school outside the UAAP can enroll in another institution within the league and compete immediately, provided the player remains eligible under the league’s other requirements.

Starting Season 90, however, graduates moving into the UAAP will have to spend one year with their new school before becoming eligible to compete.

“Any athlete who has graduated from any university, once they transfer, has to sit out one year. The rationale is that the board wanted, somehow, for the student-athletes to inculcate the culture of their respective schools before they compete,” Saguisag explained.

The policy is intended to give graduate transfers time to become immersed in their new school’s identity and community before representing it on the court.

“They should know what Igma Kadima of UE means. Or what it means to be a ‘klasmeyt’ at Adamson. Or for FEU, what it means to be actually brave. So they’ll sit out one year, get inculcated in the culture, and play next year,” Saguisag added.

The one-and-done provision was introduced in 2016 following the implementation of the K to 12 education system, which created a temporary shortage of traditional college freshmen as the first batches under the new system moved through the education pipeline.

The rule subsequently provided a pathway for graduates from outside the UAAP to continue their studies while remaining eligible to compete.

Season 89 will be the final season before the new residency requirement takes effect.

This season, the league will also permit each team to carry two foreign student-athletes in their pool, although only one FSA can be included on the active roster.

Each school must declare which of its two foreign student-athletes will be on the active roster one hour before tip-off.

Season 89 officially opens on September 12 at the SM Mall of Asia Arena with the ‘Kickoff Show’ headlined by Vice Ganda and Gloc-9, while collegiate men’s basketball gets underway the following day at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Host Far Eastern University faces Adamson University at noon, followed by defending champion De La Salle University against National University at 2:30 p.m. University of the Philippines and University of Santo Tomas close out the opening-day schedule at 6 p.m.

The women’s basketball tournament begins on September 26.