A WEEK before the UAAP cagewars unfurl, UST has withdrawn mainman Jojo Duncil from its Season 70 roster in what could be a major setback to the Tigers’ title-retention bid following speculations that the 2006 Finals MVP has allegedly passed a “questionable” birth certificate.
“UST believes that Jojo (Duncil) is only 24 years old and is eligible to play this season,” UST Institute of Physical Education and Athletics director Fr. Ermito de Sagon told the Varsitarian. “But we chose to pull him out of the line-up to avoid questions on the credibility of UST’s basketball games and the other UAAP sports that we are in,” he said.
It has been a month since newspaper and online journal reports raised the issue of Duncil’s eligibility after an NSO-certified birth certificate showed that he was born on Jan. 13, 1982, in contrast to the Jan. 13 1983 birth date he stated in his credentials when he suited up for the Tigers in 2002.
A student-athlete is deemed eligible to play in the UAAP until he reaches the age limit of 24. In Duncil’s case, the alleged birth certificate made him 25 years old this season and ineligible to play his final year for UST.
According to De Sagon, UST’s decision was made to avoid the burden of the consequences of fielding Duncil with his inconsistent records, at the same time, the 2007 UAAP president wanted to remove doubts on UST’s games as the season progresses.
Not wanting to put the Season 69 champions in a bind, Duncil gracefully accepted the decision, saying that even without him on the UST line-up the Tigers are still a “strong team.”
“I believe this controversy, though untrue, deserves some closure, so I agreed to leave the team in order to preserve UST’s credibility in the league,” Duncil said in a phone interview. The Pampanga hotshot played a key role in UST’s epic 76-74 overtime conquest of Ateneo in last year’s finals to give the España-based squad its first title in ten years.
Upon hanging his UST jersey, Duncil intends to join the PBA draft this August. Meanwhile, the UST coaching staff has tapped former Tiger Cub Darryl Basa to replace Duncil in its 15-man rotation.
