TERRENCE Romeo is gone from San Miguel. Will Terrence Romeo 2.0 follow him out the door?
League sources confirmed on Friday that Kyt Jimenez, the flashy guard who is a self-confessed copycat of former teammate Romeo, has been relegated by the Beermen to their unrestricted free agent with rights to salary (UFAWR2S) list.
The name of the former YouTube sensation was conspicuously missing from the 14-man lineup (with one reserve) submitted by the Beermen for the PBA Season 49 Commissioner's Cup that tipped off on Wednesday.
A check with the league office confirmed that Jimenez, the lowest draft pick at No. 76 to ever be signed to a PBA contract, has been placed by the powerhouse Beermen on their UFAWR2S list.
LOOK:
The 27-year old former Mavs Phenomenal top attraction was signed by the Beermen to a two-year contract back in September 2023, meaning he still has a live contract that runs until late 2025.
However, being in the unrestricted free agent list means the 5-11 guard can sign with any PBA team he wishes to without any restrictions.
Jimenez has had an uneventful PBA career so far, no thanks to some strokes of bad luck that saw him get sidelined by a Cliff Hodge elbow during his league debut and suffer a deep cut that needed 19 stitches to close in an ice bath accident at home.
But his relegation to UFA is not so much an indictment of his value to the Beermen but more the consequence of an odd PBA rule that sets limits on the number of Fil-foreign players per team at seven - with an 8th only allowed as a reserve.
The other odd thing? Jimenez is considered a Fil-foreign player in the PBA because he was born in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
SMB's present lineup already lists seven Fil-foreign players in the active roster in Chris Ross, Simon Enciso, Kris Rosales, Mo Tautuaa, Marcio Lassiter, Drei Cahilig and CJ Perez (who was born in Hong Kong to a Filipino mother and Nigerian father).
READ: Why CJ Perez is considered a Fil-foreign under PBA rules and Ray Parks a local
Named to the injured/ reserve spot was an eighth Fil-foreign player in rookie Avan Nava.
But the good thing is, we heard from good sources that the Fil-foreign rule is now under review by the Commissioner's Office.
And who knows, a change of scenery may work wonders for Jimenez's career, right?
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
