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The 71st season
of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) will be under
the watch of two brothers from a famous family of lawyers who were former Ateneo
stars.
Andres
"Chito" Narvasa Jr. will serve as commissioner of the country's biggest
collegiate league, while his younger brother Gregorio "Ogie" will act
as his deputy when competition unfolds on July 5 at the Araneta Coliseum. |
The elder
Narvasa, who served as commissioner of the National Collegiate Athletic Association
(NCAA) last year, said the league has allowed teams to boost their rosters from
15 to 16 players.
Teams
can still recruit two foreign cagers, but only one can play at any given time.
While
the host school traditionally picks an alumnus, the University of the Philippines
looked into the vast technical experience of the Narvasas, the sons of former
Supreme Court chief justice Andres Narvasa.
Chito
played for Ateneo's back-to-back champion team in 1975 and 1976 when the school
still competed in the NCAA. The 51-year-old Narvasa also mentored Shell and Purefoods
in the pro league.
Ogie,
a lawyer, previously served as commissioner of the Philippine Basketball League
and the defunct Metropolitan Basketball Association.
"I
feel very honored," Chit said. "If they feel I can help, I'm more than
willing to do it."
In
the league opener, Far Eastern and Adamson will clash at 2 p.m., followed by the
game between UE and UST. | 
