Last Wednesday, first-year University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers head coach Boy Sablan decided to bench King Tiger Louie Vigil, Kent Lao, Renzo Subido, and Marvin Lee for the entirety of the first half of their game against Adamson University.
According to Sablan himself, the four were handed “disciplinary sanctions” due to an “offense” they had committed.
“Meron kasing problema. Binigyan ko lang ng discipline. Ano lang, sila lang gumawa ng problema na yun,” he said. “Wala naman sila magagawa ako tumatawag nyan eh. Meron ba silang magagawa pag ayaw ko sila ipasok? Wala silang nagawa nung first half – I mean lahat naman ng coaches meron namang ganyag disciplinary actions for the sake of the team.
“Hindi naman natin ginagawa yun para magalit tayo. Hindi ganun yun eh. Ginawa natin yun kasi yun yung tama para sa inyo. In the future sabi ko nga sa kanila, sa ibang team na pupuntahan niyo, mali pa rin yung mga ginawa niyong problema. So baka mas mabigat pa na gagawing disciplinary action sa inyo di ba? Ako nga, yun lang ginawa ko.”
The quintet were eventually plugged into the line-up in the second half, but the Growling Tigers still fell to the Soaring Falcons, 76-61 — their fourth straight loss, their tenth loss overall.
Louie Vigil revealed that what had happened was a case of miscommunication. But still, he is charging it to experience.
“Inexpect ko nga na di ako makalaro pero binigyan pa rin kami chance. Siguro miscommunication lang din,” said Vigil, who finished the game with six points, four rebounds, and two assists in 15 minutes of action.
According to him, it is wrong to have assumed that they were allowed to go to a social outing in España as they were with an assistant coach of the team. Even if they made it before their curfew, the fact that they did not ask from permission from coach Sablan deserved a punishment.
“Actually were ready to play kasi we did our consequences na. Mali ako kasi in-assume ko nga na alam niya. As a captain di din ako nakapagpaalam. Kahit ano namang sabihin ng coach, sorry na lang. I could take all the blame naman,” the 25-year-old admitted.
For Vigil, he is just bracing himself for his final UAAP game on Saturday, November 12, as they face the Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles. He is hoping that they can play spoilers to Ateneo’s hopes of gaining a twice-to-beat incentive.
“Siyempre hinihiling namin manalo. For me, maglalaro ako Sabado,” UST’s leading scorer said.
“Wala akong paki-alam kahit tanggal na kami sa Final Four basta laro lang ako para maganda exit ko para sa teammates and, especially, sa UST communitiy.”
