Assault on the sidelines

“A coach is someone who can give correction without causing resentment.” – John Wooden

“The essence of leadership is not getting overwhelmed by circumstances.” – Kim Scott

On Tuesday, Marikina Shoemasters coach Elvis Tolentino aimed a punch to the solar plexus of one of his own players, guard Felipe Chavez, during the dying seconds of their Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League game. The uproar this created has drawn a dividing line between those who believe physically hurting players is acceptable, and those who see it as assault, plain and simple. Opinions have been flying all over the internet, but those who should be speaking the most, the authorities involved, have been relatively quiet. The Games and Amusements Board has vowed to investigate the matter.

What can be inferred from such a rash action? First of all, this is the middle of the MPBL season. The game was important, but not life-threatening. On one hand, it looked like Tolentino lost control over his emotions, hence his outburst of curse words directed at Chavez, whose fumble under the basket cost them the game. But upon further examination, since the punch he threw appeared to have been directed to where it could cause the most hurt, it may be seen as premeditated. If you hit someone who is already out of breath in the solar plexus, the pain it can cause may last up to 15 minutes, and could include difficulty breathing, abdominal pain, and even anxiety. Nothing could be gained by that.

The former point guard and now Marikina City councilor is the son of legendary professional coach and former PBA player Loreto “Ato” Tolentino, and once served as an assistant to his father, when the latter was a feared mentor in collegiate leagues outside of the UAAP and NCAA. Ato Tolentino was a strict coach whose players were disciplined and often successful. In 1999, he coached University of Manila to the National Intercollegiate championship. More than a dozen of his players from the Hawks would achieve fame in those aforementioned leagues and go on to play in the PBA. The elder Tolentino firmly believed in “military style” coaching, and was a known disciplinarian.

Since it has been almost a week since the incident, it is curious that neither the coach nor the team have issued any apology as of this writing. It can mean that they are either standing by what happened, or are waiting for the heat to die down, or are planning their next move. That does not speak well of the character of the franchise. Curiously, the league itself issued a generic statement condemning violence, but did not promise any definitive action to investigate, or punish the guilty. Naturally, they would want to avoid being perceived as a lame duck, so we’d like to assume that some positive action is forthcoming.

It is one thing to play a contact sport like basketball, it is another to be struck by the person you look up to for leadership. There are some things you just don’t do in the sport: instruct your players to hurt an opponent; deprive them of water as punishment during practice; and strike them. That is assault, period. And any father whose child plays organized basketball will tell, there will be hell to pay if you raise your hand against his son.