CHICAGO – This hoops sensation has been with the herd of
FEU Tamaraws
since he was only 15 years young.
He has had much success ever since, including 5×5 and 3×3 titles for the Baby Tamaraws. And by all accounts, the now 19-year old is fiercely loyal to his school community.
But like no other commodity in this life, cold, hard cash can sway friendships and allegiances.
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Veejay Pre remains at FEU – at least for the moment
And that’s where the otherwise quiet existence of
Veejay Pre
has suddenly come under the searing spotlight.
For weeks now, a raging recruiting war is being waged for the services of the UAAP’s Season 87 men’s basketball Rookie of the Year winner.
One program, a source told me, dangled a seven-figure ‘transfer fee’ plus monthly allowances reaching six figures. But that bid was trumped by another powerhouse which raised the ‘transfer fee’ by one-third and the monthly stipend by P100,000.
NO DICE.
According to a source with knowledge of the poaching brouhaha, Pre’s position was to “stay lang sila kung saan sila ngayon.”
The overflow of cash and perks isn’t surprising in the current UAAP landscape where one school, in the hope of keeping at bay the wolves circling around its top star, just gave him a bump of $2,000 to his already fat $5,000 monthly stipend.
And technically, there is a gray area here since the incentives are happily provided by the boosters and not encouraged or given by the schools themselves, sources added.
PHOTO: UAAP Media Bureau
The people that run the league are not dumb, so it’s fair to assume they know what’s going on. But their hands are tied until a member school files an official grievance, something that is extremely unlikely to happen.
Besides, it’s impossible to find an evidentiary paper trail on these alleged transactions that often do not even bear the names of the involved parties.
So here’s a not so original idea for Saguisag to consider: Legalize player incentives that the US NCAA has done via the NIL (Name, Imagine and Likeness) program.
SHARING IS LOVING.
A huge profit is earned from the tournament every season. It only makes sense that the athletes get a piece of the pie.
Don’t bother telling me that free education is enough remuneration because the last time I checked, the athletics department did not exist as an assembly line for future lawyers, doctors and accountants.
Players are entertainers and must be paid as such.
PHOTO: UAAP Media Bureau
Veejay Pre
is pretty damn good. He averaged 13.2 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 14 games in Season 87 where he punished UST with a career-high 31 points in a second round encounter.
“His 3-point shooting needs sharpening but he is very skilled and immensely strong,” one UAAP coach told me. “He is a marvelous kid, too, one who worships his family and treasures his friends.”
A star for years to come, the pride of Floridablanca, Pampanga is worth every peso he’s getting enticed with.
And he shouldn’t have to take his deserved bounty with the stigma of transacting under the shadows.