Two players from the Siquijor Mystics have been absolved by the officials Pilipinas VisMin Super Cup from lifetime banishment.
A third player in Vincent Tangkay is also appealing his case as though he was inside the Alcanta Civic Center, he did not play a single second in the contest.
But there’s another player who is also making an appeal — Ryan Buenafe.
Buenafe was a starter in the game but played five minutes and 28 seconds. He produced a blank statline.
A video obtained by Tiebreaker Times though shows that though he played, the 31-year-old forward hardly played as he was nursing an injury.
For context, Buenafe had zero points during Siquijor’s loss to KCS-Mandaue last April 9 before dropping 24 points against Dumaguete a day later.
“First game out na ko e, hindi talaga kaya maglaro. Nung second game, nakalaro ako nun kasi pinahinga ako nung unang game,” said Buenafe.
“Third game hindi na talaga kaya.“
Just seconds into the game, Buenafe figured in a collision with Dawn Ochea that aggravated his sore left knee. He was subbed out immediately.
With just 10 bodies to rotate, head coach Joel Palapal called Buenafe to enter the game once more with 4:18 left in the opening frame. Exactly 70 seconds later, he asked to be subbed again.
Finally, just two minutes and three seconds in the second stanza, Buenafe was asked to come back in. He played a little bit more than three minutes before getting out of the court again.
“Wala na kaming player nun kaya pinasundot ulit ako ni coach pero kahit sprinting hindi na talaga kaya. Masakit na talaga.”
Buenafe was at the back the entire time when the game was ultimately stopped during halftime as the medical personnel inside the venue was icing him up.
With the video, Buenafe is hoping that the league and the Games and Amusements Board grants his appeal.
At the end of the day, the former Ateneo Blue Eagle has one regret.
“Advice sa akin ng doctors after nung first game, out for the season na ko.”
