PLAYING in the high school ranks has traditionally been the stepping stone for young student-athletes to break into the collegiate scene.
It’s not often until the twilight of one’s playing years in college in which a potential pro career begins to cross their minds.
READ: Fil-African 39-year-old rises above hate to try luck in PVL Draft
This was not the case for University of the Philippines Integrated School (UPIS) winger Mary Angela Jackson, the youngest aspirant in the 2025 PVL Rookie Draft.
At 20 years old, the 5-foot-9 opposite hitter is dead-set on foregoing her college years to go straight into the PVL coming out of high school.
She went on to play limited minutes in a few preseason tournaments for University of Santo Tomas, but an official move to the college ranks in the UAAP hasn't materialized.
But how did such a career-defining gambit come to be?
“‘Yung mentor ko po kasi, plano po talaga namin na I would go straight to pro after high school. By the time that I graduated high school po, PVL introduced the age limit na 21 years old.
“Ngayon po, and with the draft po, I feel like it's easier, parang the process po, it's more streamlined. I took it as an [opportunity] na rin po to go na since mag-21 naman na rin po.”
Players who will turn 21, the age limit for aspirants as Jackson pointed out, before the end of the year are eligible to apply for the draft.
All roads lead to the pros
By no means did Jackson take a decision of such magnitude lightly.
When asked about gauging the pros and cons, she knew off the bat what she was signing up for along with 59 other aspirants — all of whom are older and more experienced than her.
“Yung pinaka-pro [ng pag-apply sa draft from high school], I feel like it's the exposure po. Pero if you are able to have the chance na ma-line up, hindi din naman po always sure yun na you'll get the exposure.
“Siyempre sa pros, mas experienced yung mga kasama mo po. So, I feel like you'll be able to go to a higher level kaagad with pro than with the UAAP.
“I’m not saying na you can't [grow sa UAAP], but feeling ko po, I have a better chance at going to a level that I aspire to be at a faster rate sa pros.”
Admittedly, the draft combine has been a daunting yet fulfilling experience for Jackson as the youngest of the bunch.
But such a thought gives her the buffer of making one more mistake than others, presenting herself as a willing and able learner more than anything in front of PVL scouts and coaches.
“I take it po na maybe I have more leeway since I'm the youngest, so hindi ko rin po masyadong pinipressure yung sarili ko.
“Siyempre, there’s the anxiety din po since they're all older than me pero I expect myself na makipagsabayan pa rin po, even though I'm the youngest.”
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