THE UAAP yesterday announced the appointment of Dickie Bachmann as the basketball commissioner for the next two seasons.

Bachmann, who played for the pioneering La Salle UAAP squad in 1986 and won two championships in 1989-90, replaced Tonichi Pujante to oversee the Season 85 men’s and women’s basketball competitions set to open on October 1.

“It’s like going full circle, starting out as a player to an assistant coach then, later on, team manager and team governor and now to a commissioner, I’m really blessed and grateful for this opportunity. And the UAAP was the place it all started for me, that’s what excites me the most,” said Bachmann.

Unlike in the past years, Season 85 host Adamson decided to break tradition in selecting the commissioner for the centerpiece basketball and volleyball events.

A selection process was held while the entire UAAP Board of Managing Directors (BMD) made the final approval.

“As hosts for UAAP Season 85, we at Adamson University decided to break tradition of endorsing one and make everyone part of the selection process in choosing the commissioner for both the basketball and volleyball tournaments,” said UAAP President Fr. Aldrin Suan, CM.

“Executive Director Atty. Rebo Saguisag formed a search committee that screened applicants and nominees and came up with a shortlist which was presented to the BMD. After painstaking deliberation by the BMD, it was Mr. Richard Bachmann who stood out,” he added.

Bachmann will also be the basketball commissioner in next year’s 86th season to ensure that all bases will be covered with regard to the continuous learning for the officiating crew.

“We are excited to have him and see him execute his expertise and vision for our basketball tournaments, not just this season but also for UAAP Season 86,” said Suan.

Bachmann is currently in the process of selecting the pool of referees that will be used by the league for its collegiate men’s, collegiate women’s, high school boys’, high school girls’, and 3×3 basketball tournaments.

“My main task is improving the officiating of the league, a one-year term on any commissioner is not enough. There should be continuity through training and they also need to call some games outside of the UAAP which will be also supervised by us,” said Bachmann.

“Basically, they asked me my plans for the referees. I said that I’d rather have a pool that I can control, a collection of referees from various leagues and groups,” he added.

Saguisag, a former basketball commissioner before rising as the league’s executive director, said that the UAAP is aligned with Bachmann’s vision of referee development.

“With his recommendation, we will have him on board for the next two UAAP seasons. This is not just for the UAAP but for the entire collegiate basketball landscape, and perhaps the nation’s as well. The UAAP is very excited to have continuity and, hopefully, synergy with the other leagues in creating a harmonious environment for our student-hoopers, coaches, officials, and our staff,” said Saguisag.

Bachmann will also be heading to each of the eight-member universities to personally talk to each head coach and see the key points of improvement that they want to see moving forward.

“I’m going to meet each team. I would rather go to each school and meet each head coach to know their experiences from past seasons. I’m going to listen to them and see the positives and negatives of past seasons so we can improve on those,” said Bachmann.