Emotions ran high on a Monday afternoon, when the CEU Scorpions took on the Marinerong Pilipino-TIP Engineers in 2018 PBA D-League Foundation Cup action at the Ynares Arena in Pasig.
With 7:58 to go, benches of both squads were nearly vacated as multiple scuffles took place, moments after Marinero point guard Trevis Jackson and two CEU players wrestled for the loose ball.
Marinerong Pilipino head coach Koy Banal and assistant Joel Banal were both furious with the way things went – they charged towards the referees and gave them an earful.
Penalties were given later on. Marinero Pilipino-TIP’s Jerson Prado was slapped with a flagrant foul penalty one, and the Banals plus CEU head coach Derrick Pumaren had technical fouls for entering the court.
CEU overcame the heated contest, 97-79, to improve to 3-2.
Asked about what had transpired during that ugly sequence after the tiff, Koy Banal was still frustrated, arguing why no calls had been made as he saw Jackson receive an elbow during the skirmish.
“Hindi ko alam kung nakita ng mga referees yun pero nakita ko binagsakan ng siko si Trevis. You can’t do that,” said the veteran mentor.
“Kitang-kita sa harap ko eh… That’s uncalled for.”
Banal also clarified that he hadn’t blurted out any curse words towards any of the Scorpions, contrary to what Pumaren had told him when both camps were having a spat at the center court.
“‘Di ko naman minura yung ano niya eh.
“Yung referee ang inaano ko. Si Joel ang nakausap ni Derrick, minura ko daw yung player niya. Wala akong sinabing ganon,” said the 18-year coach.
Pumaren, on the other hand, said that he simply stood up for his wards, whom he has been mentoring since early June, when he took CEU’s head coaching reigns from Yong Garcia.
“I need to show my team that I’ll stand up for them,” said Pumaren.
