UAAP executive director Rebo Saguisag put the Angelo Kouame eligibility issue to rest as he issued a clarification on the matter on Sunday.
The amiable executive acknowledged that an official of a member school made an inquiry regarding the eligibility of the Eagles reinforcement from Ivory Coast. Saguisag, however, said the issue had long been resolved, with the Board of Managing Directors (BMD) approving the matter last year.
The official reportedly claimed Kouame should have redshirted last year owing to the rule applying to high school foreign graduates from a non-UAAP school.
"I believe that a certain rule was cited but the said rule is now rendered inoperative and has been revoked in a meeting called upon on May 16, 2018. Hindi na yun yung effective rule," he said.
Saguisag shared that the rule enacted now is that: "The requirement right now is that a foreign student-athlete high school graduate will not be subject to any residency provided he satisfies two things: 1) he graduated in the Philippines; and 2) has attended one full academic year. And in the case of Angelo Kouame, he has satisfied both."
Kouame, who graduated high school in Multiple Intelligence International School in Katipunan, did not need to undergo residency to play his rookie season for the Blue Eagles last year.
The Ivorian center won the Rookie of the Year and helped the Blue Eagles win the men's basketball championship.
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.
