UAAP Contemplates Major Shift in One-and-Done Eligibility

The UAAP may be preparing another significant shift in its eligibility landscape, this time centering on one-and-done prospects who have become part of the league’s roster-building ecosystem in recent years.

According to multiple sources close to the happenings of the UAAP, the league is contemplating a change that would require one-and-done prospects to complete a year of residency before becoming eligible to play, beginning Season 90 in 2027.

If approved and implemented, the change would mark a major departure from the current pathway that has allowed qualified student-athletes who completed four years of undergraduate studies outside the UAAP to immediately suit up for a member school while pursuing graduate studies.

Under the current setup, the one-and-done route has generally allowed a student-athlete from a non-UAAP school to enroll in a UAAP member school for graduate studies and play right away, provided the athlete still has a remaining year of eligibility.

This pathway became widely known in basketball circles as the “Troy Rike rule,” named after the Filipino-American forward who was able to join National University after completing his undergraduate degree in the United States.

The principle behind the rule was academic in nature. A student-athlete who had already completed an undergraduate degree elsewhere could still continue higher education in a UAAP member school and use a remaining playing year while enrolled in graduate studies.

Over time, however, the rule became one of the most discussed eligibility pathways in the league, especially in men’s basketball. What began as a graduate-studies opening eventually became a strategic roster-building tool for programs looking to add older, more experienced, and physically developed players who could immediately contribute for one season.

That absence of a restriction helped schools maximize the pathway while also creating debate about competitive balance, recruitment strategy, and the true spirit of collegiate eligibility.

In men’s basketball, recent examples have included Luis Villegas at UE, Drayton Caoile at UE, Lian Ramiro at La Salle, Quentin Millora-Brown at UP, and Ateneo’s Season 88 duo of Dominic Escobar and Jaden Lazo.

The possible Season 90 change would not necessarily eliminate one-and-done prospects from the UAAP. Instead, it would alter the timing and cost of bringing them in.

A residency requirement could discourage older prospects who want a faster route to the professional ranks. It could also force schools to evaluate whether investing in a one-year player who must first sit out is still worth the scholarship slot, development time, and roster planning.

The potential change also fits a broader pattern in the UAAP’s recent approach to eligibility. Starting Season 87, the league implemented stricter rules for student-athletes transferring from one UAAP member school to another. Under that policy, UAAP-to-UAAP transferees still serve one year of residency, but they lose two years of eligibility instead of just one. The rule applies across collegiate sports and was framed as part of the league’s effort to manage player movement more carefully.

The league also declined a PBA request in 2025 that would have allowed graduating seniors and one-and-done players to enter the PBA Draft while retaining their UAAP eligibility. The UAAP’s position showed that it remains cautious about exceptions that could affect not just men’s basketball, but the integrity of eligibility rules across the league’s entire sporting program.

If the contemplated one-and-done residency change pushes through, it would be another sign that the UAAP is moving toward tighter regulation of short-term roster movement. It would also address one of the long-standing criticisms of the one-and-done pathway: that some athletes may be entering graduate programs primarily for athletic purposes rather than academic continuity.

The development is not yet final, and the UAAP has not officially announced the rule change. But if the discussions lead to implementation in Season 90, the league could be entering a new phase in how it handles graduate-student recruits, one-and-done players, and short-term eligibility windows.