CHICAGO — If Kacey Dela Rosa had taken her talents to the upcoming US NCAA season, she would’ve have been a millionaire many times over.
As it turned out, the attempted jump wouldn’t have been just a chancy leap of faith.
It was a plunge unto guaranteed money.
READ This is how good Ateneo star Kacey Dela Rosa has become
But citing a desire to win a title in the UAAP, where she has won back-to-back MVP awards, Dela Rosa announced on August 3 that she was staying at Ateneo instead.
Loyalty is free, so who needs cash, right?
NOT NECESSARILY THE CASE?
Well, by staying put, the 22-year old essentially turned her back on a life-altering amount of dough. But there's also info coming in that it’s more like she missed out on it.
According to my sources, on July 22 the University of Southern California offered Dela Rosa a slot in the Women of Troy roster.
Per Fil-Am Nation Select, a recruiting and talent pipeline that US colleges and universities regularly work with, the offer came with a short 10-day window to submit Dela Rosa’s Ateneo transcript of records to the US NCAA.
The deadline was missed.
EYE OF THE NEEDLE.
An Ateneo official who requested anonymity told me, “hindi talaga kaya ang 10 days at hindi pwede ma-submit online.”
However, some quarters insist the Blue Eagles could have pushed the paperwork faster, especially in this day and age of electronic transactions.
Either way, Dela Rosa lost the opportunity to make $250,000 in guaranteed NIL money plus a $100,000 bonus for every tournament USC wins, the sources added.
And thanks to revenue sharing, Kacey could get up to $500,000 in bonuses if the team make it to the 2026-27 Women’s NCAA championship game.
The window of opportunity is now closed on all of that, plus the bonus of playing alongside superstar Juju Watkins.
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