COACH Bo Perasol paid a dear price for his failure to keep his emotions in check in University of the Philippines’ numbing 63-89 loss to defending two-time champion Ateneo in the 82nd UAAP basketball tournament last Sunday.
Instead of a one-game suspension, the UAAP slapped Perasol with a three-game suspension for his actions in the Fighting Maroons’ highly-anticipated and highly-emotional finals rematch with the Blue Eagles.
“After thorough review and careful deliberation made by the technical committee, we deemed it fit that the penalty of three-game suspension (be) handed to coach Bo Perasol for his actions in the game between Ateneo de Manila University and the University of the Philippines last Sunday,” UAAP basketball Commissioner Jensen Ilagan said in a statement yesterday.
“Do acknowledge that similar actions of the same grain shall be dealt with similar penalties,” he added.
Before a wild and roaring crowd of 19,861 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, UP played without Perasol starting at the 6:23 mark of the third period, ejected after he charged referee Jaime Rivano Jr., ready to rumble over what he said was a non-call on Ateneo’s Angelo Kouame who had challenged Maroons reserve big man Jerson Prado’s inside shot.
According to Art. 9.2.1 of the UAAP General Tournament Guidelines, 2019, “A student-athlete, coach, trainer, or team manager, team official or any accompanying delegation member who is disqualified, thrown out of or ejected from unsportsmanlike behavior from the game by the concerned game official shall not be allowed to play in the immediately succeeding game. Should said game be canceled, the suspension will be served in the game that immediately follows.”
The additional two-game ban was meted on Perasol for committing “continuous flagrant acts of aggression” towards the game official after being restrained repeatedly by the team members.
Perasol, in his third year calling the shots for the Maroons, will serve his suspension in UP’s games against Far Eastern University on Oct. 6; University of the East on Oct. 12; and University of Santo Tomas on Oct. 16.
At the end of the first round of the eliminations, the Maroons hold a 5-2 card behind the unbeaten Eagles, who have a 7-0 record.
UP reached the Big Dance for the first time in 32 years last season but was swept by Ateneo in the finals.
With the addition of prized transferees Kobe Paras and Ricci Rivero this year, the Maroons are expected to challenge the Eagles’ three-peat bid and end their long and agonizing 33-year title drought.