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    Sunday, July 21, 2013

    Ateneo Blue Eagles African Recruits For Upcoming UAAP Seasons: They Will Have A 7'1 African Player!



    By BallersPinas


    Manila, Philippines - The Ateneo De Manila Blue Eagles may have been struggling in this year's UAAP Season with an unusual 2-4 win-loss record. I said unusual because they're the defending champs and they're one of those teams that played really well in the Pre Season Tournaments i.e. in the Fr. Martin Cup 2013 and in the FilOil Flying V Hanes Pre Season Cup 2013.

    There have been some growing pains in the hearts of the thousands of Blue Eagle Fans due to the losses that their favorite team suffered early this Season.

    But I'm sure that the Blue Eagles won't be in the same predicament in the succeeding years because of their new recruits.

    For the first time in the history of the Ateneo Blue Eagles Basketball Program, they will be having African players. Take a look at the picture below. From left to right: Gueye (7 ft 1 in), Ikeh (6 ft 10 in) and Ewenike (6 ft 10 in). They are the Ateneo Blue Eagles' towering African recruits for the succeeding seasons of the UAAP!

    Photo Credit goes to Sir Philip Sison


    53 comments:

    Havi Ben said...

    At the very least, they have to be functional. They may be tall, but from what I heard they still need a year or two maybe 3 to learn to play bball.

    romeoace_admu82 said...

    Right! Their basketball iq should'nt be just average to become Towers of Power! Let's play hoops!!!

    romeoace_admu82 said...

    Actually we had one just recently in the person of Fil-Nigerian Jobe who likes (I assume) adobo and pinakbet ;-)!

    Paul Jacinto said...

    Not sure how I feel about these foreign recruits for the sake of the university's athletics team... seems like it's more of a professional league than it is that of an academic institution. It would be understandable for professional leagues to be doing this, since money is involved, but having to import athletes from different parts of the world - for a collegiate league?! Just doesn't seem right for me.


    I'd rather see "real" students (when I say "real" I'm pertaining to students who actually choose the Ateneo as their alma matter, and not based on their mental aptitude) play for the team, win or lose, than to have imports wearing our blue and white. No offense to the African players. It's just that seeing this trend among the different colleges in the UAAP seems a bit disconcerting; even the PBA has a limit on the number of imports eligible to play.

    just someone said...

    I'm pretty sure Ateneo, of all the universities to be quite honest, doesn't just recruit them for the sake of the game. Ateneo makes sure they are fine individuals who can not only dribble a ball but can also handle his student activities and serve.

    Paul Jacinto said...

    I agree, if that is indeed the case. And it would also be nice if for the fact that these guys are given the opportunity for a better education than what would've been available for them. But how can we be sure that the talent scouts have the same intention as the institution? (I'm remembering this article about the Bedan siblings who were recruited for the ADMU team which was critical of the intentions of collegiate scouting) And furthermore I'm hoping that the scouts would focus first on local/home-grown talent deserving of a scholarship than looking outside of the country.

    triplewgf said...

    If a player can pass the ACET and cope with the rigorous academic demands of Ateneo, then we should welcome them with open arms, I think.

    Paul Jacinto said...

    Don't get me wrong, what I'm concerned about is the trend that's obviously becoming more common among the teams and college athlete recruitment per se. Ok pa naman dati na paisa-isa (and I'm not pertaining to Kirk or Jobe, who's been in the PH prior to them playing for ADMU), but to have three foreign recruits at the same time is a bit worrying for me. After all, the popularity of the league has gone a long way and maybe that's where I'm a bit concerned that it's becoming (or looking a lot like) more of a commercial league.

    RAX said...

    i agree with you brother, for others this is what they called sweet revenge but actually it's not.. this is bitterness!..

    Rick Olivares said...

    The Bedan siblings were not recruited. They went there of their own free will. As for the Africans, one of them scored very nicely on the ACET.

    JaylenOngsiako said...

    Nakokonsensya na mga atenista. ahaha.

    mark said...

    About time !!

    Ryan said...

    1) Ateneo is not the first team to do this, and it's not like schools get to field foreign students on-court at the same time. 2) Even US NCAA universities get foreign student-athletes (ex. Grievis Vasquez, Gorgui Dieng, et al) so it's not really that different.

    The Just said...

    I completely agree with you... These new recruits will be suited in blue shirts not just to play ball but also to serve as fine individuals participating in some school activities living the Ateneo way :)

    That School in the NCAA said...

    May I ask? What can Keifer say about this? :) Kala ko ba ayaw niya sa mga import? Lipat na siya sa NCAA. :)

    Dave said...

    the atenio is undifeated

    Blew Eagle said...

    What a way to rationalize. The Ateneo way?

    outside opinion said...

    I agree that its not good mainly because teams now are not purely built by a persons choice of alma mater, but since some schools did, they have improved. I guess everyone else is just going along with it and competing the way everyone else is. At the end of the day, everyone likes to win and will make an effort to do so.




    Note: Ateneo de Manila has no special treatment for student athletes they are suspended or taken off team when academic standards are not met


    I say this because I know of schools who have limited their athelete's course choices to the easier ones with more time and are exempted from the typical classroom deadlines, participation and such

    Gerald Adane said...

    ginagaya lang siguro nila ang ginagawa ng DLSU na bukod kay BenMbala .. may other Recruits din sila na Imports .

    MlakingPinoy said...

    Kawaw ang mga local big man ng pilipinas!
    ang alam ko ayaw ni kiefer ng bigman na import! pero wala tayo magagawa kung di niya kaya buhatin ang ateneo ng walang ganyan :)

    shade said...

    As if ang Ateneo lang ang kumukuha ng imports lol. Kinukuha naman ang mga magagaling na local na big man ng pilipinas eh. Ang problema lang ay bihira ang mga magaling na local na big man sa pilipinas. (Naku, pag meron lang, dati pa yan pinag agawan yan ng mga unibersidad)

    shade said...

    Logic ng mga NON-Ateneans. Pag school nila ang gumawa, ok lang at tama lang. Pero pag ginawa na ng Ateneo, magrereklamo na sila at sisiraan na nila ang Ateneo. The HECK!!!

    Guest said...

    Hello! From the one on the leftmost is actually Ikeh, and next to him is Gueye.

    G said...

    Jobe is a personal friend of mine and he's a really awesome individual! He speaks straight and casual Tagalog and can get along with everyone! :)

    Popoy said...

    I think UAAP should reconsider allowing these recruits to play. Not against ADMU but the fairness of the game to universities participating in the collegiate league. Three African recruits with at least 6'10" in height? Wow.. This could be a very interesting story to follow..

    Carlos said...

    Isn't it that there is a 1 year residency?

    admu_obf said...

    what? copying DLSU? lol a lot of universities have done this sort of things before so. . .

    hi said...

    But if we look at it from another perspective, this puts our local aspiring basketball players a taste of what it's like to compete in an international arena. Foreign players will tower over you but if you go to your strengths, you can pull through. Anyway, there are limitations on these foreign athletes. You can only include two in your line-up and field only one at a time. :)

    outside opinion said...

    That's true and is also a good point. There are still positive effects to this too because it will improve the country's strength in this sport and raise the bar in terms of skill.

    Max said...

    Dlsu doesn't have any other import aside from mbala. The others are part or pure filipino, not foreigners

    RedArcher/GreenLion said...

    i get your point and i agree with your sentiment but just the same, it is also the opposite for me. i hope these guys can play. however Ateneo molds them to be as individuals, that's their problem, but for the sake of the league, i hope these guys are players with true skill and love for the game. i would hate to see a season watching tall guys play catch, just because theyre tall. but to digress, yes, i do not know what to think of the recruitment game universities are playing right now. i hope they dont lost sight of what this league was originally meant to do.

    Weng Santos said...

    Wag mapag-panggap. Lahat ng schools may special treatment sa players. Ask Kirk Long about his F turned D in freshman math. Or LA Tenorio's tutor. Or Buenafe getting tons of financial and legal help from Ateneo to make a rape case filed in Tagaytay go away.

    It seems that even you have bought into the false-righteousness marketing hype of the school. I'm sick of the holier-than-thou attitude. Ateneo, it seems, are full of kids who are full of themselves.

    A student-athlete is a student-athlete, no matter where he is. His study time is limited, and all he wants- if possible- is to play and train. DLSU's Cholo Villanueva, UST's Clark Bautista, and countless others have been suspended for a season to attend to academic woes. They are given help, just like they are in Ateneo, because the school is concerned about their well-being. But if they still don't perform off the court, that's when they are suspended.

    A school is supposed to help you reach your dream. Sometimes that's basketball, sometimes it's other things. Along the way, they must assist you so you can succeed, if that means giving you a little leeway or flexible deadlines, then that's what they do. Walang tunay na kamay na bakal, except maybe yung coach, pag strikto.

    outside opinion said...

    perkins, import

    outside opinion said...

    Your clearly offended and have ateneo issues. Its okay. Except that grades don't change w/ the click of a button as easy as you say it is. Buenafe got suspended more than a year. Im not disagreeing, everyone got their due diligence but chill out man your showing too much defensive emotion. You say "Atenean's are kids who are full of themselves" sure some are but saying that. Your surely not one. Show class kahit sa forums

    Taeneo said...

    Yeah that's right, the TAEneo way :) haha

    Atenista said...

    perkins is filam not an import

    Weng Santos said...

    What's not classy about my post? Because it's brutally honest? I don't have Ateneo issues. but I do take issue with the self-righteous tone of what you wrote, especially since it's patently false.

    You insinuated that "other" schools, other than the Ateneo, give special treatment to their players, while Ateneo does not. Which is simply not true.


    But whether or not it was true, what was the point to be made by you saying it? Is it to point out that Ateneo is a better school which does things the "right" way when other do not? If you say yes, then you just proved my full-of-themselves point. If you say no, then, again, what was the point to be made by your remark?


    I've been around in the amateur sports world long enough to know what's what. I have worked with college coaches and recruiters to get players into Letran, San Beda, FEU, CSB, UP, NU, DLSU, UST, and yes, even Ateneo. I know the programs, the goings-on, the movers and shakers, and yes, the promises of academic support made by these schools to promising recruits.



    I'm not defensive, son, I'm setting you straight. Your post causes misinformation to be put out there, and for what, to be able to say that Ateneo is heads and shoulders above everyone else in terms of academic standards?

    Finally, sometimes grades do change at the oush of a button, or on the signature of an administrator. Go ahead, dig up Kirk Long's original freshman Math grade. While you're at it, dig up Rico Villanueva's original form 138 and his 3 failures in the 4th year of high school, and ask yourself. "how was he admitted to Ateneo, given your supposedly other-worldly academic standards?"

    I'm sorry, but it seems I know more about your program than you do. My unsolicited advice: you don't have to believe me, but use that same doubt when confronted with hype from Ateneo, before spreading it around like it;s the truth. Every thing must be taken with a grain of salt.

    MrNazi said...

    "The Ateneo is undefeated"

    Tommy said...

    Paforeigner pa sana sa african league nalang kayo sumali!! Mga weak yan nadala lang sa kulay!

    Paolo Ochangco said...

    can they opt for filipino citizenship and end up playing in the pba??

    LSGH 71 said...

    and the Archers will have Mbala.. already proven during big games....

    Jaime Miguel Leogardo said...

    That guy was FUNNY! Was his counterpart waving our respective school flags as part of a DLSU-admu motorcade a few years ago :D

    Jaime Miguel Leogardo said...

    2 years for foreign players (i thin), and schools used to only be allowed to have 2 foreign players in their lineup..which makes it strange that they got 3 africans

    Jaime Miguel Leogardo said...

    *You're *You're *You're

    lucidlynx said...

    What ACET? Do you think Ateneo is serious about these foreign recruits to insist on that requirement that they should pass the ACET first? I doubt it. Athletic scholars have certain privileges and one of them is bypassing the entrance exams as long as they have the proper credentials to enroll at the university level.

    Honesto the honest man said...

    Yep, They are required to pass the Ateneo College Entrance Exam a.k.a. ACET. Ask the Semerad brothers why they went back to San Beda. They wanted to play for the other MVP Sponsored team but...... :((

    Astig Tigas said...

    hehehehehe... wla na bang pinoy na makuha at papataol na sa mga africano... and if thay are from africa - can they afford the tuition? baka naman all expenses paid sila, may hefty allowances, own flat na fully furnished, drivers, maid at marami pang iba... kawawa naman mg pinoy

    Guest said...

    nga nga si outside opinion. :p hindi kayo santo.

    Guest said...

    Puede ba, outside opinion. Siguraduhin mo muna na facts ang mga information na binibigay mo. Hindi puro gawa-gawa lang o puro akala. What a shame!

    jeff said...

    bkit gnun ateneo ngaun ln nila gnwa to grabe kau mka pag react eh ang lasa nga my perkins at mbala next season eh tpos mka reklamo kau wagas gnun tlga so don't react let see what the archers can do next season hahaha ateneo will repeat there 5 peat dynasty more may 6 or 8 peat p :)

    fighting moron said...

    kahit pano pa pagbali-baliktarin at subukang ipaliwanag, di papayag ang mga alumni na lampasuhin ng dlsu and admu. madami pang sinasabi, yun lang ang habol ng lahat, MANALO.

    baller said...

    there will come a time na puro nalang foreign recruits na ang naglalaro sa UAAP..which is very alarming...sad to say magiging boring na...yes magagaling sila but not as fun as our local players...that's the reason on why UAAP is more fun and exciting to watch than PBA games.

    Abbott Horus said...

    yes schools like dlrt are teams notorious for their machiavellian tendencies. in fact dlrt is the only school that has been suspended for gross violation of uaap rules. these idiots will do anything to beat admu, even cheat

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