Despite losing guard Kean Baclaan due to Wello Lingolingo’s unsportsmanlike foul, La Salle head coach Topex Robinson said he believes the penalty imposed to the University of the East Red Warrior is too harsh.
The Green Archers put the whole league in notice on Sunday, after squeaking past the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons, 72-69.
The team won despite the loss of Baclaan and Mason Amos, who sustained MCL injuries in separate games in a span of a few days.
Baclaan, earlier in the week, suffered the injury after Lingolingo dove for the ball in a scramble, where the latter landed on the knee of the former. In that game, La Salle found a way to get the win, 111-110, in overtime.
Shortly after, Lingolingo was slapped with a three-game suspension. UE head coach Chris Gavina was later banned for four games after a profanity-laced rant.
After Sunday’s win, Robinson said he is hoping the UAAP would reconsider the lengthy suspension.
‘I know it’s already late, but with regards to… Me and Kean had a talk yesterday and he felt sorry that Wello has to lose three games. And the coach and competitor in me, obviously, he deserves to get suspended. But the father in me is pardoning the committee to kind of lower the games because he’s not really a bad player,’ he told reporters.
‘Those opportunities or those incidents really happen. And sana mabigyan pa siya ng chance na makabalik pa because three games is going to be huge for him. I’m not talking about UE as a team, but Wello as a person because he’s a nice kid,’ he added.
‘And I hope that he’ll be given a chance. I know he made this mistake and I hope he’ll be given a chance to lessen yung suspension. Because I know how hard it is going to be for him.’
UE, on Sunday, dropped its seventh straight loss this season and 13th straight defeat overall after getting trampled by Far Eastern University, 95-76.
Without Lingolingo, who served the first of his three-game suspension, Precious Momowei, Nico Mulingtapang and Tope Lagat spearheaded the team.
Momowei had 23 points and 11 rebounds, while Mulingtapang and Lagat had 13 apiece.
Still, it was not enough against FEU, which had five different Tamaraws score in double figures, led by Jorick Bautista’s 22.
Lingolingo’s scoring punch was surely missed.
‘So hopefully, it’s also going to be… Because we already lost our player. We don’t want to lose other players from other teams because ang hirap e. As you said earlier, it’s hard for me to lose Kean and Mason. But I know how also hard it is for Wello,’ Robinson said.
‘So hopefully, he’ll be given at least a fair share of suspension.’
Still, losing Amos and Baclaan were ‘really hard,’ the coach admitted.
‘They are playing on borrowed time because of the rules. And it just feels bad that we get to lose them in this battle. But as a reminder to everyone, the only way we could have them back is if we’re going to make it all the way,’ he said.
‘And hopefully, by God’s grace, they’ll be okay by that time. So that’s always been the call of the team. We’re doing this not just only for ourselves as individuals, but also for those two players that we’ve lost.’