GOOD news: The future of Philippine basketball looks bright after hidden gems have been unearthed from this year’s Palarong Pambansa.

Bad news: most of them are ineligible to represent the Philippines in upcoming youth tournaments.

Fans have been so impressed by standout players in the Palaro, the country’s biggest annual multi-sport event featuring teenage student-athletes, that they have suggested them for consideration to the Gilas Pilipinas Youth pool for Fiba age-group tournaments.

They have even been tagging Gilas Youth coach LA Tenorio on social media posts on highlights of Palaro standouts like Calabarzon’s Andrei Ugaddan, an 18-year-old San Beda Red Cub who has gone viral for his high-wire act.

But being born in 2007, the 6-foot-2 Ugaddan is already ineligible to play for a national youth team to an Under-18 tournament or any other youth tournament in the future.

Based on Fiba rules, the cutoff for any U18 tournament next year is 2008, meaning players who are born in 2008 and turning 18 in 2026 – and younger ones – are the only eligible players for a U18 national team next year.

Ugaddan will already be classified a 19-year old next year regardless of the month when Gilas Youth will play its next major U18 tournament, including the 2026 Fiba U18 Asia Cup.

Former Gilas Pilipinas Youth assistant coach Enzo Flojo shared the excerpt from the Fiba Internal Regulations – Book 3 regarding the calculation of age categories, found on Provision No. 146 on page 29.

“To calculate the age limit corresponding to the respective age category competition, the following procedure is used: the age limit given in the definition must be subtracted from the year in which a competition takes place with the understanding that this year begins on 1 January.”

“As an example: the age limit for U19 in a competition in 2025 shall be: 2025-19 = 2006. Any player born on 1 January 2006 will be entitled to participate in a competition for U19 in 2025.”

Therefore, Flojo said “most of the standout players [in the Palaro] are too old na for any FIBA age-group tournaments moving forward.”

Mark Solano, program coordinator for SBP Coaches Academy, also confirmed the Fiba rule on age eligibility.

“As per Fiba rules, they follow year born po palagi,” Solano said.

According to the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP), Under-16 and Under-18 tournaments are held at the continental level serving as qualifiers to the Under-17 and Under-19 World Cups, both of which the Fiba hosts.

The SBP explained that age limits for Youth-level World Cups are adjustment accordingly by Fiba since the players get older after the continental qualifiers.

The Philippines last qualified for the U19 World Cup in 2019 with a team led by Kai Sotto, Carl Tamayo, and Dave Ildefonso. That team was ousted at the quarterfinal stage by world No. 4 Serbia with a

PHOTO: Fiba.basketball

The Philippines failed to qualify for the Under-19 World Cup set to be held this month.

The next U19 World Cup will be played in 2027, by which time the age cut-off would be 2008.

While the Palaro standouts’ ineligibility gives Tenorio fewer players to choose from for future tournaments, Gilas Youth’s foundation remains solid after its conquest of the Fiba U16 Asia Cup SEABA qualifiers.

Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph