Cruz owns up to starting physical plays, says sorry

TAIPEI – Carl Bryan Cruz was having his best game in the Jones Cup on Thursday night.

He finished the game watching his teammates polish off an 84-75 victory over Iraq. And he knows exactly why he ended up there.

Cruz admitted to starting a series of technical fouls called on the Filipinos in the fourth quarter and said he was sorry for that one play that decked an Iraqi player and ignited a dirty finish to the game at Taipei Peace Basketball Hall here.

“I know that it’s my fault and I am sorry,” Cruz said in a very apologetic tone in Filipino. “I know that it all started with me.”

Cruz planted a forearm to the back of the head of Iraqi Navid Khajehzadeh after biting into the 7-foot center’s fake under the basket. The hit left Khajehzadeh on the floor for a while as referees tried to separate members of both teams.

After several plays, Christian Standhardinger was the one who gave out a cheap shot on Dhulfiqar Al-hchaimi while both teams were going back to their respective benches for a TV timeout.

Game officials caught Standhardinger, who was promptly slapped with a deliberate foul resulting in his banishment with 4:55 left and the Philippines comfortably ahead, 73-58.

Reyes did not consent both acts and benched Cruz after his caper before shouting at Standhardinger and sending him back to the locker room.

“That’s not the way we play Gilas basketball,” Reyes said. “It’s a shame, because Carl was having a great game. But I will not tolerate such acts.”

While Cruz said he was going to say sorry to Reyes, he also said that he deliberately timed that hit after the Iraqi had given him a wayward elbow during a rebound play several minutes before.

“I will not take that kind of play sitting down,” Cruz explained. “Though I know it was a bad thing to do, I will never allow such plays to be done on me and my teammates. Yes, I waited for the right time to strike back.”

While the rest of the team was whooping it up inside the dugout waiting for Reyes to return after giving out an interview to the international media, Cruz and Standhardinger occupied different corners of the room sulking.

The message was clear and Cruz, at least, has learned his lesson.