Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
University of Santo Tomas coach Boy Sablan surprised a lot of fans when he kept four of his main contributors on the bench in the first half against Adamson on Wednesday.
The first-year mentor explained that his move to keep Louie Vigil, Marvin Lee, Kent Lao, and Renzo Subido was nothing but a disciplinary action.
“Binigyan ko lang ng discipline. Sila lang gumawa ng problema na yun eh,” he said.
Though the players refused to expound on the situation, they did own up to their mistake.
“Siguro miscommunication lang din,” said Vigil.
“Mali ako kasi in-assume ko nga na alam ni coach yung nangyari. As a captain, hindi din ako nakapagpaalam. Kahit ano namang sabihin ng coach, sorry na lang masasabi namin. I could take all the blame naman.”
Sablan, meanwhile, lauded the four for taking responsibility, but he said rules are rules.
“Wala naman sila magagawa dahil ako ang 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 ganyang disciplinary actions for the sake of the team,” he said. “Hindi naman ginagawa natin yun para magalit tayo. Ginawa natin yun kasi yun yung tama para sa inyo.”
“In the future, sabi ko nga sa kanila, sa ibang team na pupuntahan nyo, mali pa rin yung mga ginawa nyong problema. So baka mas mabigat pa na gagawing disciplinary action sa inyo, di ba? Ako nga, yun lang ang ginawa ko.”
With his lesson already hammered home, Sablan did allow his players to enter the game in the second half.
Their entry didn’t really change the outcome for the Growling Tigers, as they fell to the Soaring Falcons, 76-61.
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Still, the players were thankful for the opportunity to play in the game.
“In-expect ko nga na di ako makalaro, pero binigyan pa rin nya kami ng chance,” Vigil said.
“Tapos na rin naman yun. Hindi na naman dapat balikan yun. Move on na lang. Thankful pa rin kami na ginamit pa rin kami kahit ganoon.”
Lao finished with 12 points and six rebounds, Vigil got six markers, four boards, and two steals in the defeat while Lee and Subido failed to make an impact in their combined 10 minutes on the floor.
“We just have to make it up to him, prove to him that whatever happened won’t happen again,” Subido said.