UAAP set for high school girls basketball

UAAP Deputy Commissioner Edith Bolicario

The University Athletics Association of the Philippines is set to include HS Girls basketball as a demonstration sport for the upcoming 82nd season, a first for the league.

According to sub-host National University, the event will begin on either October 26 or 27. It will be a four-team tournament between Ateneo de Manila, La Salle-Zobel, University of Santo Tomas, and Adamson.

UAAP Executive Director Rebo Saguisag shares, "It's long overdue for the UAAP to have a basketball tournament for the girls." The ED has background in that aspect of the sport as a coach for Assumption High School earlier this century.

The league hopes that the other schools would be able to develop their own Girls Basketball program, so that the transition student-athletes make from high school to college would be seamless.

Board of Managing Directors Representative for Ateneo de Manila Erika Dy says, "This is very important for the development of our women's players. Schools want to recruit girls out of high school who are already fundamentally sound. Without a Girls' Division, there is not much interest from young dreamers to begin with at that level." Dy was a student-athlete at La Salle-Zobel in high school before playing for the Lady Eagles in college. She also coached the team earlier this decade, with the team managing to make the finals in 2015.

Dy adds, "Having a Girls’ Division is consistent with the UAAP’s mission to provide a training ground for our future national athletes. As much as the college teams will benefit from this, it’s really our Gilas Women’s Team that will reap fruits from it in the future."

The UAAP also believes that having a tournament like this will help the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas identify and discover future prospects for Gilas Women, whether in the youth or in the senior set-up.

UAAP Commissioner for Basketball Jensen Ilagan adds, "It's a big step forward for women's basketball. In the ASEAN region, we really need the exposure sa women's side."

The UAAP also revealed that they also appointed its first-ever female deputy commissioner in Edith Boticario, who will assist Ilagan in all basketball tournaments this season.

Boticario, who completed her degree in Physical Wellness at the University of Makati, is a FIBA-licensed official and a former PBA referee.

The hire "is a testament to the league's commitment to inclusiveness," according to Saguisag.