Photo from UAAP
MANILA, Philippines—Frustrations mounted for University of the Philippines during its showdown against Ateneo Sunday night.
No one felt it more than UP head coach Bo Perasol, who snapped as emotions got the better of him in the third quarter of the Fighting Maroons’ 89-63 beating at the hands of the unbeaten Blue Eagles.
Perasol admitted to his fault and he acknowledged he has to be better moving forward into the season.
“As their leader, as their head, I need to be better,” said Perasol Sunday at Smart Araneta Coliseum. “I cannot lose myself especially in a game as big as this.”
“I apologize, first for my team for losing it. It really doesn’t matter what happens on the court but I have to think about my composure because that’s what I preach and I as the one who lost it.”
Perasol lashed out at one of the officials at the 6:23 mark of the third with UP trailing Ateneo, 52-35.
One of the referees chased UP center Bright Akhuetie the length of the court to call a technical foul on the big man at the 8:03 mark of the third, and Perasol saw that as an act of impeding the progress of the game.
“There was instance when the official called the third foul on Bright and Bright was already on the other baseline, I really thought that the official followed him there,” said Perasol.
“I was telling the official ‘you’re going to ruin the team, or you’re going to ruin the competition, a beautiful competition at that by making personal calls like that,’” added Perasol “Bright was already at the other end of the court and giving him a technical after his third foul, and if you’re thinking well enough you can’t do that as an official because you’re going to ruin the competition.”
Perasol’s actions merited him an automatic suspension in UP’s next game against Far Eastern University.