The transfer of former Adamson Falcons Tyrus Hill and Kurt Lojera reignited the debate surrounding poaching and tampering in collegiate ball after quarters from their former school cried foul over how the two ended up joining the practices of the De La Salle Green Archers.
A source from the Adamson camp told ESPN5 the two said they were heading back home to San Jose, California. The same source bared that Hill claimed he was being recruited by the San Jose State Spartans, an NCAA Division I school.
Lojera was more forthcoming, though, as he told one of their assistant coaches via text message saying he was not a good fit for the Falcons and that he'll be heading to San Jose to wait for a better opportunity there or in the Philippines.
However, the Adamson coaching staff found out through social media that Hill and Lojera joined members of the La Salle squad in Punta Fuego in Batangas for an outing. Falcons head coach Franz Pumaren and his assistants Don Allado and Renren Ritualo, who still have ties with other La Salle alumni, quickly heard the news.
Allado confirmed on his social media that Hill indeed lied to them by saying he was joining San Jose State.
— GoArchers Sports (@GoArchers) April 7, 2018
Transfers are by no means rare in collegiate basketball in the Philippines. Players move from one school to another due to a variety of reasons. In the last UAAP season, many transferees from other teams saw action such as Arvin Tolentino and Hubert Cani of Far Eastern University, Terrence Mustre and Jeri Pinggoy of Adamson University, and Matt Salem of National University.
There were also a lot of transferees from other collegiate leagues. However, almost all of these transfers happened without a hitch. The same could not be said for Lojera and Hill as their departure prompted Fr. Aldrin Suan, Director of Adamson's Office for Athletics and Recreation, to write a formal letter to the UAAP Board.
"I would like to propose that we strengthen our internal policy to stop this foolish behavior of unhealthy practice of tampering our student-athletes and let us live up to our sense of association with mutual respect," wrote Suan.
"The issue is still perturbing, haunting us and bothering me even though the law is in effect," he continued. "This act of poaching or tampering is unethical recruitment of players. Such thinking has no place in the values and principle of our respective schools, which we teach the youth to choose high moral ground. It also undermines the core value of UAAP as sports development."
Hill and Lojera suited up for Adamson in the PBA D-League Aspirants' Cup but left the team before the playoffs began