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Jared Bahay recruitment saga will be a 'lesson' for UP: Perasol

Bo Perasol Director of UP Office for Athletics and Sports Development (OASD) speaks at The UP athletics and Sports Development event dubbed, UP Fight!: Isang Pagdiriwang ng Utak at Pusong Palaban held at the University Theater in UP Diliman Quezon City on February 9, 2024. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News

Article (news)

Camille Naredo

ABS-CBN News

<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/020924_Bo Perasol.jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="UP Office of Athletics and Sports Development director Bo Perasol. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News."/>UP Office of Athletics and Sports Development director Bo Perasol. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News.MANILA — While they have already moved on from the disappointment of losing a top recruit in Jared Bahay, the saga will nonetheless serve as a lesson for the University of the Philippines&#x27; men&#x27;s basketball program. This, according to UP Office of Athletics and Sports Development director Bo Perasol, who also stressed that they wish nothing but the best for their former recruit. &quot;We really thought that he&#x27;s going to be a very big part of our program, &#x27;no. Kung hindi siya magaling, hindi namin siya kukunin two years before he graduated,&quot; Perasol told ABS-CBN News on Friday, at the sidelines of UP&#x27;s send-off for its student-athletes for the second semester sports of UAAP Season 86. &quot;But, for me, and even my management group, kami naman ay nakaka-intindi na siyempre, pwede namang magbago &#x27;yung pag-iisip ng isang student-athlete. And he made his choice,&quot; he added. UP had announced in <a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/03/30/23/uaap-top-high-school-star-jared-bahay-commits-to-up">March 2023</a> that Bahay had committed to the Fighting Maroons. It was a recruiting coup for Perasol and UP, as the point guard was considered the top high school recruit in the country. Bahay had committed early; he would only be eligible to play in the UAAP starting Season 87. But on January 5, UP confirmed that Bahay was no longer committed to play for their men&#x27;s basketball team. Twenty days later, Ateneo de Manila University announced that Bahay will instead play for the Blue Eagles. <a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/01/05/24/uaap-jared-bahay-no-longer-committed-to-playing-for-up">UAAP: Jared Bahay no longer committed to playing for UP Fighting Maroons</a> <a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/01/25/24/uaap-jared-bahays-new-home-is-ateneo">UAAP: Jared Bahay&#x27;s new home is Ateneo</a> &quot;Sad for us, and also good for Ateneo,&quot; Perasol said. Perasol, who previously coached Ateneo and UP before taking on the role of UP&#x27;s athletic director, made it clear that he wants Bahay to succeed. &quot;It doesn&#x27;t matter whether he plays for Ateneo or even wherever. So now, we&#x27;re just happy for him,&quot; he said. <img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/20240125-via-ateneo.jpeg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/>Coach Tab Baldwin and Jared Bahay. Handout/Ateneo de Manila University&quot;Pwede siyang maging lesson sa amin na hindi &#x27;yan sure way of collaring a blue-chip player. Kasi, pwede pa siyang magbago ng isip, &#x27;no,&quot; said Perasol, who also recalled a similar situation during his time with the Blue Eagles. &quot;It reminded me of Kib Montalbo, na before he came to Ateneo, siguro mga three years na, andoon siya nagpa-practice. And then Kib, they decided to go to La Salle,&quot; he said. &quot;So &#x27;yun ang reminder ko na hindi naman talaga assurance, na &#x27;pag na-andiyan siya sa&#x27;yo, mauuwi siya sa&#x27;yo.&quot; &quot;What really matters is kung kanino sila mage-enroll.&quot; Bahay can play for Ateneo starting Season 87; in a statement, Blue Eagles coach Tab Baldwin called him &quot;a significant part of our program.&quot; -- MOVING ON --</div><div><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/m1t5avoeDYg?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe> It did not take UP long to find its footing. Just four days after Bahay confirmed his commitment to Ateneo, UP announced that <a class="fr-strong fr-green" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/01/29/24/uaap-rey-remogat-is-the-newest-up-fighting-maroon">Rey Remogat will transfer to State U</a> from the University of the East. Perasol stressed that they did not try to lure Remogat from UE, noting that the point guard was not even in their plans. &quot;If you go back again to the story, we already had Jared. Wala siya [Remogat] sa picture eh. And then after noong nawala si Jared, we were looking for somebody to acquire, his name came out because he said he&#x27;s really going somewhere, he&#x27;s going to go out from UE,&quot; said Perasol. Remogat is a proven performer in the UAAP, having averaged 16.5 points, a league-leading 7.9 assists, 6.4 rebounds, and 2.0 steals for the Red Warriors in Season 86 en route to earning Mythical Team honors. <img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/020924_Rey Remogat.jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt=" Former UE point guard Rey Remogat can play for UP starting UAAP Season 88. UAAP Media/File."/> Former UE point guard Rey Remogat can play for UP starting UAAP Season 88. UAAP Media/File.He will still have to serve one season of residency before becoming eligible in Season 88 -- just in time to take the place of JD Cagulangan, who will play his final year with UP in Season 87. While glad to have acquired a talent of Remogat&#x27;s caliber, Perasol won&#x27;t deny that the UAAP is becoming concerned with the recent trend of high-profile players leaving their schools. Before Remogat, former UE big man Gani Stevens also left the Red Warriors to transfer to UP; just last week, Kean Baclaan transferred from National University to De La Salle University despite being a featured player for the Bulldogs.</div><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/2024/2/3/uaap-kean-baclaan-is-headed-to-la-salle-2002">UAAP: Kean Baclaan is headed to La Salle</a> <a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/12/12/23/uaap-gani-stevens-vows-to-step-up-for-up-in-season-87">UAAP: Fueled by La Salle&#x27;s title run, Gani Stevens vows to step up for UP in Season 87</a></div>&quot;We talked about it in the Board of Managing Directors, that we need to find a way, how we can control this,&quot; said Perasol. &quot;That&#x27;s in the mind of the Board of Managing Directors and the Board of Trustees — how to make the playing field fair.&quot; &quot;&#x27;Yun ang pinag-uusapan namin, and we&#x27;re looking for ways on how that&#x27;s not going to happen again, maybe in the near future.&quot; RELATED VIDEO:<div><ivs-player data-ivs-key="e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603" data-ivs-spid="3001339" data-ivs-vid="2894465"></ivs-player><script src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/js/loader.js"></script></div>

While they have already moved on from the disappointment of losing a top recruit in Jared Bahay, the saga will nonetheless serve as a lesson for UP.

While they have already moved on from the disappointment of losing a top recruit in Jared Bahay, the saga will nonetheless serve as a lesson for UP.