Tallo out, but is Buenafe in for the Blue Eagles?

Even before the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) basketball tourney begins, the Blue Eagles Men's Team are already brimming with intrigues. Blue Eagle team manager Paolo Trillo confirmed in an interview with GMA News Online that Cebuano recruit Mark Tallo will no longer be suiting up for the Blue Eagles come July. "He left for his own reasons without consulting us," said Trillo. Tallo was part of the Blue Eagle line-up in the recently concluded FilOil Flying V Preseason Premier Cup which the Eagles won. Trillo admitted the team is "very disappointed" with the young point guard’s decision and for "leaving without a word." After their pre-Finals game against the Far Eastern University Tamaraws, however, Tallo went home to Cebu. According to Tallo’s father, the rookie will be playing collegiate basketball in Cebu. However, Trillo confirmed that he has heard reports that other UAAP schools – De La Salle University and University of Santo Tomas – were keen on recruiting him. As of this posting, both schools could not be reached for a comment. The Blue Eagle manager explained that Tallo might not have adjusted to coach Norman Black’s system, where players start getting heavy playing time only in their second, third or fourth years of playing. In an earlier interview with GMA News Online, Black said: “If you're a freshman coming in and you wanna play 25, 30 minutes for the Ateneo team, [then] you're probably playing for the wrong team." Before Tallo suited up for the Eagles, Trillo said that team management explained to the rookie that “his time would come" after the UAAP Season 74 because a lot of guards – Kirk Long, Emman Monfort and Bacon Austria – would be graduating. Should Tallo decide to play for another UAAP school, he will not need Ateneo’s consent. "He didn’t complete the requirements [for enrolment]. He’s free to go," said Trillo. Players who transfer from one UAAP school to another are required to finish two years of residency in the new school unless a written clearance is issued by the other school. "We wish him the best of luck but the thing is, he didn’t leave us on the right note," Trillo added. Come-back for Buenafe? Amid news of Tallo’s exit are whispers about Ryan Buenafe’s return to the team. During the pre-season, Buenafe was not part of the line-up nor did he join the Blue Eagles during their training in the United States. Trillo declined to comment on Buenafe’s condition, saying that the team does not want to meddle with the player’s "personal matters." "As of now, he’s still not with us and we’re giving him time to attend to his personal matters," he said. He clarified however, that the team has yet to submit its final UAAP line-up and that from now until the deadline, anything can happen. "But he hasn’t been practicing with us [and] it’s going to be hard for [Buenafe] to attend classes and play for the team while he’s attending to his case," said Trillo. -- OMG/RSJ, GMA News