San Beda College, which has made mincemeat of the opposition in the NCAA the past three years, is entertaining the possibility of joining the tougher, more prestigious UAAP in the near future.

San Beda rector Fr. Mat de Jesus, OSB, yesterday said the school has no plans of joining the UAAP at least for this school year, but he admitted that they are open to the idea of jumping to the other side.

“We don’t have plans for the moment, for this academic school year, not yet,” said De Jesus whose school is host of this year’s 85th NCAA season.

He said they are more concerned about being good hosts and plans for the future are on hold.

“But we are open to any possibilities,” the rector said.

De Jesus’s statement came a day after the UAAP announced plans to expand the number of teams which currently stands at eight.

San Beda appears to have the inside track should the UAAP decides to add a new member.

UAAP president Aton Montinola of host Far Eastern University said so during a recent press conference as he praised San Beda’s sports program which he described as “very strong.”

“Apparently, the school that comes to mind without alienating the other schools interested would be San Beda,” Montinola said.

“They’re strong in all sports, their alumni are always behind them, they have a serious basketball program that would enhance the popularity of the UAAP,” he added.

The idea of an expanded UAAP was raised after the NCAA opened its membership this year by inviting three guest teams — Arellano University, Emilio Aguinaldo College and Angeles University Foundation.

“We’re very grateful of his (Montinola) comment on our strong sports program,” De Jesus said.

The only drawback for San Beda, which is a tricky one, is that a UAAP member school must be a university.

But De Jesus said San Beda is on its way to becoming one this year.