Coach TY Tang. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/ INQUIRER.net
For coach TY Tang, the game between St. Benilde and Perpetual shouldn’t have been played in the first place.
The Altas brought the wrong set of jerseys to the venue and played in their maroon uniform instead of their designated light uniforms.
“Before the game, if you were to ask me, this game was already over before it started. It should have been a forfeiture. It’s under the rules. Everybody knows that,”said Tang.
The Blazers went on to lose their NCAA Season 93 opener, 69-65, to Perpetual on Tuesday.
READ: Eze lifts Perpetual to first win; St. Benilde puts game under protest
Tang shared that he was surprised that the game, which was delayed for almost 45 minutes from the supposed 12 p.m. tip-off, even pushed through at all.
“I was surprised. I was shocked that the game still continued on and just a technical foul was given to the other side,” he said. “If there’s just one player didn’t bring the jersey, do you think that team would have fielded that guy in? No, because it will be a forfeiture of the game. What more if the whole team does that? I don’t understand. What are the rules right now? For me personally, I’m confused.”
Team captain Gerard Castor signed the running score for the game, declaring the team’s intentions to protest the result for the jersey mix-up.
Tang, though, said he was urged by the NCAA Management Committee to put the game under protest because if it were up to him, “there’s no game that had happened.”
READ: NCAA: Perpetual brings wrong set of uniform
The former Rain or Shine playmaker also urged the league to correct this act swiftly on the controversy to avoid setting a precedent.
“I think (the lull) took about 40 to 45 minutes. It was so long and the grace period for one game is just 10 to 15 minutes, right? Whether they bring the jerseys in or not, it’s just 15 minutes,” he said. “I’m not again to judge, but if you’re going to ask me personally, they should have done a better job in handling things. It shouldn’t take an hour or so. It just took them so long. You just have to follow rules. What are in the rules? Those guidelines. Abide by it.“
Perpetual Head coach Jimwell Gican, meanwhile, refused to comment on the snafu.
“We in Perpetual, the coaches are focused on our jobs. I can’t comment on what happened because even I was surprised,” he said.
Gican is leaving the decision to the NCAA Management Committee.
“It’s now up to them to settle what needs to be done,” he said.