Calisaan shocked by ejection, rues missed chance to play on home floor

Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

Michael Calisaan was in disbelief after he got ejected late in the third quarter of San Sebastian’s 75-73 win over EAC on Friday.

“I don’t know,” said Calissan, struggling to explain what led him to hit the showers early.

Calisaan was slapped with two unsportsmanlike fouls while playing defense on Sidney Onwubere, sending him out of the game with 1:14 left in the period.

The 22-year-old forward argued that he didn’t do anything wrong with his defense.

“I know for myself it’s not an unsportsmanlike foul. I wasn’t going for the face or the head. Even if you review the tapes, I only hit him in the elbow. I was going for the ball, but he double-pumped and that’s the reason why (Onwubere) got hit in the arm.”

Consistently racking double-doubles this season with his averages of 16.1 points and 10.0 rebounds, Calisaan’s ejection takes him out of the running for the end of season awards.

That, however, means little for the fourth-year forward, sharing that his biggest goal is to help the Golden Stags return to the Final Four for the first time since 2013.

“The important thing for me is to win and to achieve what we’re aspiring for which is to be a champion. We’ll all try our best to do that,” he said. “I’ve won awards before, but if you get those and your team is in the bottom, that means nothing. What I want more is to be on top, make it to the Final Four for the first time in college. I made it in high school but that has eluded me in college.”

San Sebastian currently stands at an even 4-4 with a game left in the first round.

The ejection, though, will keep Calisaan out of the Golden Stags’ home game against JRU on Thursday, where he is set to serve his one-game suspension.

“It could have been my first time playing in our home court,” he rued.

Calisaan seethed over losing the rare opportunity, saying that games like those is a big for San Sebastian, which could put them at a good standing at the end of the first round while giving a show to its schoolmates.

“We need to be complete when we’re playing because if we’re not, my teammates may have a hard time adjusting,” he said.

But Calisaan accepts his fate and vows to be the Golden Stags’ loudest booster on their home floor, entrusting much of the leadership to their trio of guards in RK Ilagan, Ryan Costelo, and Renzo Navarro.

“I hope they all step up. I just told them to enjoy their game so that we’ll all be happy,” he said.