Walkout mars Fil Oil college tourney

I have some nice pics (doesn't that sound bad) of what happened. Won't use them here but will try and have them printed in Business Mirror. In the pic below, Louie Alas points an accussing finger at Ed Cordero who is to the right of Mike Advani so he is out of the picture. In the pics I shot, the next frames are very interesting as they show the altercation in all its ugliness. Thank God, the players and officials prevented it from getting out of hand.

Walkout mars Fil Oil college tourney

by rick olivares

The day should have rightly belonged to Reil Cervantes who knocked down the game winning three-pointer 62-61 for the Far Eastern University Tamaraws who were pushed to the limit by the feisty and tough National University Bulldogs in the Fil Oil Pre-season Invitational Cup.

But it has become an afterthought after a fracas between old rivals San Beda and Letran that nearly degenerated into a rumble. Except that it didn’t involve players or fans but coaches.

After the Letran Knights’ Kevin Alas hit a three-pointer to cut San Beda’s lead to seven 51-44, the Red Lions' Garvo Lanete drove to the basket. Alas met him there and was whistled for a block and an and-one situation as Lanete made the lay-up.

Letran head coach Louie Alas protested the call (it was also his son Kevin’s fifth and final foul). Rebuffed by the referees, the frustrated coach threw the ball high up that it nearly hit the ceiling of the San Juan Arena. When play was about to resume, San Beda’s assistant coach Ed Cordero stood up and asked the referee why Alas wasn’t assessed a technical foul.

That’s where the trouble began and the story diverged.

Alas said that he was talking to the referees when Cordero, from the San Beda bench, butt into the discussion. Alas alleged that Cordero mouthed an invective that prompted him to storm towards the San Beda side. “Yung physical nature ng game, normal na yun for a Letran-San Beda game. Hindi naman siya kasali sa usapan tapos sabat pa siya ng sabat. The Knights’ coach had to be restrained by his players.

Cordero denied that he used any insults and stated that he was merely asking for clarification on why Alas was not slapped with a technical foul. “Wala naman mali doon di ba? Tama yung tanong ko. Then bigla na lang siya naghahamon.”

According to Cordero, he lost his cool when Alas began to challenge him. “It was a mistake and I apologize that I got angry pero I just answered back after naghahamon siya. He (Alas) is a liar if he says that I used a bad word. It was only later that I began to answer back pagkatapos ng hamon niya.”

Alas disagreed. “I wouldn’t have reacted that way had he not said anything. We were not even looking at him them he stood up and starting talking and saying things. Our coaching staff could see and hear yung sinasabi niya.”

The altercation lasted close to fifteen minutes as the referees and tournament officials led by Commissioner Ato Badolato conferred on the sidelines. Both Alas and Cordero were thrown out and Letran walked out of the game with the Red Lions up 53-44 with 6:22 left to play in the 3^rd Quarter.

The match was awarded to San Beda via forfeiture when the Knights did not return to the floor upon resumption of play.

“As far as any sanctions are concerned, we leave that up to the tournament organizer,” clarified Badolato who was clearly upset with the incident.

Tournament official Joey Guillermo on the other hand said that Letran will be allowed to finish out the tournament as they have one more match to play. “We are an invitational tournament and not something like a bigger competition the UAAP or NCAA.”

Letran currently totes a 1-5 record and will close out their dismal summer showing when they play Emilio Aguinaldo College next Wednesday at 3pm at the San Juan Arena while San Beda at 3-1 has three more games to play. They also play next Wednesday after Letran as they go up against the dangerous Arellano University Chiefs at 5pm.