Japeth says sorry for dad’s antics

Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

OF ALL the good things Japeth Aguilar did in helping Barangay Ginebra upend Star, 116-103, in their PBA Governors’ Cup encounter on Sunday night, his finest deed came after the win.

After several highlight-reel plays that topped off a 21-point, six-rebound performance, the 6-foot-9 Aguilar approached  Hotshots’ team manager and PBA great Alvin Patrimonio to apologize for the behavior of his father, former pro Peter, during the blockbuster game that lured about 16,000 fans at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

“He said sorry, and I was touched,” Patrimonio told the Inquirer after Aguilar came up to him near the Commissioner’s Office where he stayed to cool down.

The elder Aguilar and Patrimonio got into a heated exchange of words after the game, when players from both sides were returning to their dugouts. Ginebra’s Joe Devance stepped in to prevent what would have been an uglier scene.

The former four-time MVP lost his top because of Aguilar’s ringside antics at the height of a furious Ginebra fightback in the third quarter.

Seated near several reporters, Peter was seen shouting at Patrimonio, who lost his cool in one rare outburst and said, “Parang nakakalalaki siya eh (He’s challenging my masculinity).”

He said Peter yelled at him menacingly to sit down while he was confronting a referee over a supposed non-call.

Interviewed by a separate group of scribes, Peter defended his act and said: “Isn’t he a four-time MVP. He should know that it’s all part of the game.”

Meanwhile, Ginebra’s 7-foot cornerstone Greg Slaughter, is set to make his return when the Gin Kings battle surprising Mahindra in less than two weeks.

Out since the start of the season-closing conference after an ankle surgery, Slaughter will add depth and ceiling to a team that is out to nail a twice-to-beat privilege in the quarterfinals.