UP Fighting Maroons: Too Much Talent?

The University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) opened their 89th season, and observers note that the UP Fighting Maroons are the team to beat. This was quite a surprise since the State University lost their “Maroon Five” backcourt. The UP management had prepared for this, some might say “overprepared.” They have recruited multiple players in the pipeline for almost every position, including talented guards who have taken the backseat in favor of the senior backcourt players. However, before discussing their title chances, we must address one major critique: Did UP commit overkill? There are some pundits, and even UP Maroon fans who mention that the barrage of Maroon talented recruits have led to other drawbacks, namely, the lack of chemistry, distribution of playing time, and overall development of players. Clogged Talent Pipeline It sounds ironic, since it is a philosophy for college basketball to stack on talent due to the quick turnover rate. That makes perfect sense in the era of one-and-dones, but that is in the United States. The most prospected talents promptly leave for the NBA once they qualify, and that is at the young age of 19 years old, or one year…