Tension runs high in UAAP title series

MANILA, Philippines - La Salle and Ateneo supporters are feeling the tension of a close duel as the Green Archers barely beat the Blue Eagles in Game 1, 67-65, and attempt to clinch the best-of-three finals for the UAAP senior men’s basketball championship at the Smart Araneta Coliseum tomorrow.

Another victory by La Salle in Game 2 will seal the deal for the Archers but if the Eagles take the rematch, the winner-take-all Game 3 will be held at the Mall of Asia Arena on Saturday.

Ateneo team manager Epok Quimpo called the series opener “one for the books” and said the outcome could’ve gone either way. “There were bad calls and non-calls on both sides,” he said. “We noticed that from four minutes below, the referees stopped blowing their whistles. Dapat patas lang. We’re planning to show edited video clips of situations to the Commissioner (Rebo Saguisag) so he’s aware of things.”

Quimpo said the referees missed calling a foul when La Salle’s Kib Montalbo stripped Ateneo’s Thirdy Ravena of possession with the Eagles on top, 65-64, time down to less than 30 seconds. “We’ve reviewed the video,” he said. “If it was all ball, the trajectory should’ve been downwards not going up. Still, it was a tough call to make or not make. Kib has really fast hands like Eric Salamat who used to play for Ateneo. But I guess that’s part of the game.”

Quimpo said he hopes there will be no repeat of a flare-up involving spectators in Game 2. “We’re calling on the UAAP to issue a warning that if anyone from the stands approaches the bench of either team in an aggressive way, he should automatically be escorted out of the stadium by security,” he said. “That goes for fans of both schools. It’s a matter of respecting the game and the league. Fans can’t just go up to the bench and try to intimidate players and coaches. On our part, we’ve told our coaching staff to act with restraint. We demand composure from our players so the example should start from the coaches.”

In the third quarter of Game 1, former Batangas Vice Governor Mark Leviste stepped down from the stands to approach the Ateneo bench, claiming he was dared by an Eagles assistant coach. Quimpo said it all began with a heated incident involving La Salle’s Prince Rivero and Ateneo’s Vince Tolentino on the court.

“Prince was applying defensive pressure on Vince from shoulder to waist,” said Quimpo. “It got physical. Then, there was a deadball situation. I think Vince retaliated right after with an elbow. All of a sudden, there were middle fingers being flashed all over. Guys were trash-talking. It was bad for everyone. Nobody wants a situation like that to happen.”

Quimpo said what could’ve also triggered the outburst was the Ateneo coaching staff pointing out to the referees that La Salle’s Ben Mbala was flopping and making it look like he was being impeded. He said it could’ve led to an exchange of harsh words between Ateneo assistant coach Gabby Severino and La Salle recruiting manager Dave Dichupa on the sidelines.

La Salle alumnus Aaron Atayde, watching at courtside, said what ticked off Dichupa was an Ateneo assistant coach sticking out his middle finger at Mbala and La Salle team manager Terry Capistrano. “All game long, the Ateneo coaching staff worked the referees, trying to intimidate them,” said Dichupa. “We’ve lost respect for coach Tab (Baldwin). He’s berating the referees, trash-talking our players and even our coaches. It’s conduct unbecoming of a coach of his stature. He growls at referees, points an accusing finger at them and doesn’t get a technical. Why is coach Tab a sacred cow?”

Dichupa said La Salle got the raw end of the bad and non-calls, singling out the clearly unsportmanlike fouls of Chibueze Ikeh who got away with two successive elbows, leaving Jason Perkins and Thomas Torres down on the floor. “How can they claim that referees didn’t blow their whistle from four minutes down when Matt Nieto got a three-point play with seconds to go?” he continued. “What about those offensive fouls on Jeron Teng and Abu Tratter? The referees counted Jeron’s shot but didn’t give him a three-point play and instead, they called him for a push after the basket. The worst part was the way the referees allowed Ikeh and (Isaac) Go to hold back Ben. They double and triple teamed Ben with a lot of pushing and holding down without a call. Ben is the most physically abused player in the league. He just smiles and walks away because that’s the La Salle way but we know he’s hurting. It’s not right that the referees are allowing him to be beaten up.”

Quimpo said Baldwin has done an excellent job in transforming the young Ateneo squad into a championship contender. “With coach Tab, he needs time to mold his players, to adjust to his system and to build their character with his philosophy,” he said. “When he joined Ateneo, he didn’t know the players. But as he worked closely with them, we saw the transformation. With Gilas, he worked with pros only two months before the tournament – that was too short. If coach Tab had half a year of preparation with Gilas, you would see the difference.”

Quimpo said the Eagles were quartered in Hotel 101 the day before they lost to FEU in the first game of the Final Four. “We won’t do it again,” he said. “The guys are used to their pillows, their beds so we won’t bring them to a hotel anymore for the finals. We took a break the day after Game 1 and regenerated our bodies. Coach Tab believes it’s all mental preparation now, that the guys need to rest their bodies for Game 2.”