Saturday, July 28, 2007
La Salle has until 7 p.m. today to file game protest
By Jasmine W. PayoInquirer
Last updated 02:23am (Mla time) 07/28/2007
MANILA, Philippines—The country’s fiercest basketball rivalry could turn more vicious following reports that La Salle was planning to place under protest its loss last Thursday to Ateneo in the UAAP men’s basketball competition.
La Salle said that Ateneo fielded foreign players Kirk Long and Zion Laterre at the same time in the second quarter of the blockbuster showdown where the Eagles edged the Archers, 80-77, in overtime.
Teams may field a maximum of two foreigners in its lineup, but a league rule decrees that only one foreign player can play on court at any given time.
Laterre is a 6-foot-3 Australian forward, while the 6-foot-1 Long is an American rookie guard.
UAAP commissioner Ed Cordero said La Salle has until 7 p.m. today to file a protest.
The game sequence in contention occurred with 4:49 minutes left in the first half.
Upon review, Laterre was inside the court when the game barker announced that Long would come in as a substitute for Jai Reyes during a dead-ball situation.
As play resumed with La Salle bringing the ball down, Long went back to the bench and Reyes rushed inside the court.
The referees called a technical foul at 4:33 as Reyes entered the court without permission from the officials’ table. La Salle nailed its two technical free throws.
In a meeting last night, La Salle officials said that “even if Reyes rushed back on the court several seconds later, the violation [has been committed].”
But while the Archers weigh their options, La Salle coach Franz Pumaren said that the Archers will just keep their focus.
The Archers have shaved their heads after absorbing two straight losses against the University of the East and Ateneo.
“It’s a show of solidarity,” said Pumaren. “We want to show that we’re one even when we’re losing. [Our problem against Ateneo was] we shot poorly at the free throw line. We were playing in spurts and our bench was not really contributing.”
via [Inq7.net]
To La Salle - WHATEVER!
Here are copies of the complaint.
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