THOUGHTS | COLLEGE STARS TO THE MPBL

There’s a new trend quietly brewing in Philippine basketball right now.

Honestly, I like where it’s headed.

The biggest issue with our current system for me is that we treat academics and athletics exactly the same way in college.

For most students, that makes perfect sense. Finish school first, then the real career opportunities follow.

But for elite athletes, that logic doesn’t always apply.

If you look at U.S. NCAA basketball, college is often a requirement, not a destination. Yes, March Madness is a massive stage, but most top prospects don’t even finish their eligibility. A huge chunk of today’s NBA stars were sophomores or straight-up one-and-dones. LaMelo Ball took it even further, skipping college entirely and choosing to develop overseas.

Here in the Philippines, sponsorships have complicated things even more. They’ve blurred the line between student-athlete and walking advertisement, turning players into glorified billboards for whatever brand their school endorses.

Remember when the Letran Knights had that massive Petron logo slapped right in the middle of their jerseys? Fast forward to last year, and the UST Growling Tigers were rocking a Petron logo too.

But the problem goes beyond patrons. There are situations where players and coaches walk out of schools because their real loyalty is to the sponsor. A coach gets fired, and the player follows him. A better offer comes in, and the player transfers schools. And here’s my issue with that setup: unless the planets align for a once-in-a-lifetime scenario, these players, coaches, and sponsors will never end up together in the pros.

Chot Reyes brought Kelly Williams and Gabe Norwood to the country, but he only got Kelly because Sta. Lucia was about to disband. The strong bond between UE legend Paul Lee and the late Lawrence Chongson never carried over to the PBA either. SMC and MVP-backed schools may hoard talent in college, but once the draft hits, the worst teams still pick first. That reality never changes.

And then there’s my never-ending gripe: sit-out years.

The UAAP tried to fix the transfer issue by imposing a two-year redshirt. Combine that with foreign student-athletes eating up minutes and a 25-year-old eligibility cap, and players are basically trapped. The NCAA is a bit more forgiving since the sit-out is only one year and there are no FSAs, which helps big men in particular. Still, one lost year is one lost year.

And this is why I like what’s happening now.

Players are starting to take matters into their own hands. Sure, it’s usually their managers doing the chess moves, but instead of hopping from school to school, these guys are turning pro.

And this isn’t some radical, unheard-of idea.

Abe King was just 19 when he played for Toyota in 1977. Nick Bulaong is still the youngest PBA player ever at 18. In the modern era, Beau Belga was drafted at 21 in 2008 and is now 39, playing his 17th season. Kerby Raymundo debuted at 19, got banned due to paperwork issues, returned a year later, and still carved out a career worthy of the PBA’s Top 50 list.

Starting young has pros and cons, sure. But more often than not, it gives players time to fine-tune their careers instead of rushing to catch up.

Ideally, I’d still want a player who needs development to play four full years in college. But if he’s clearly good enough, why transfer schools? Why not go MPBL or jump straight to the PBA?

We’ve already seen versions of this play out. Kobe Paras, Juan Gomez de Liaño, Dwight Ramos, Carl Tamayo, SJ Belangel, RJ Abarrientos, Kevin Quiambao, and others left college with years of eligibility remaining to play overseas, all before turning 25. Kai Sotto was just 19 when he signed with Adelaide in the NBL.

Now, players don’t even need to go international to gain experience. They don’t need college sponsors to kickstart life after UAAP or NCAA either.

Kean Baclaan is now in the MPBL. John Abate, JC Recto, Drex Delos Reyes, and most recently, former FEU and Perpetual standout Patrick Sleat have made the same move. A few seasons ago, CJ Austria, Paeng Are, and Joshua David did it too. Compare their trajectories to someone like Clint Escamis. He’s a former NCAA MVP who will turn 27 during his rookie year if he enters the 2027 PBA Draft.

Don’t get me wrong, Escamis is a top-tier talent. But with the PBA tightening rules on international players, announcing a long 2025–26 season, and with his numbers dipping in NCAA Season 101, it just feels like his stock peaked earlier. That might have been the perfect time to turn pro.

If you saw how Patrick Sleat became a game-changer in Perpetual’s rise to the NCAA semifinals, then you already understand how massive his impact was. Now take this next development: Tucker Molina, who was supposed to be Mapúa’s centerpiece after Clint Escamis’ departure, has signed with the Abra Weavers. Molina left the Mapúa system shortly after Randy Alcantara’s exit, and that move alone says a lot about where things might be headed.

With this shift, we could start seeing Filipino American one-and-dones bypass college altogether and go straight to the MPBL, especially with its top-tier teams. And honestly, it makes you wonder. What if this option existed earlier? What if Kymani Ladi, Jaden Lazo, or even current Caloocan Batang Kankaloo guard Dom Escobar had the chance to go pro locally before committing to Ateneo?

And yes, I still believe finishing your studies is better for your future. That said, I cringe every time I hear commentators call 25-year-old Gilas players “bagito.” At that age, a player should already have a real pro résumé.

How can June Mar Fajardo suddenly become cat-quick in international play when some of his rivals are 15 years younger? Japeth Aguilar is still Ginebra’s starting center because where is the 6’9 athletic genetic freak in our pipeline?

Hopefully, players start realizing that the smartest path might be this: a couple of years in college, one year in the MPBL, then enter the draft when they’re actually ready and valuable. Not stuck. Not overaged. Not mislabeled.

That path could have changed timelines, development curves, and even draft stock. More importantly, it reinforces the idea that the MPBL isn’t just a fallback league anymore. It’s becoming a legitimate launchpad, one that allows players to compete, earn, and grow without getting trapped by eligibility rules or sponsor politics. If this trend continues, Philippine basketball might finally be giving elite prospects a real choice, not just a forced detour.

At the end of the day, we don’t need to tear the system down. We just need our leagues to work together. Synergize them. Develop players earlier. Let them turn pro at the right time.

That’s how we get the players we actually need.