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From a slow and and shaky start, La Salle stepped on the gas and completely dominated a National University squad that was confused and in disarray. The Bulldogs looked more like chihuahuas who wanted to play chess rather than basketball.

I have always liked NU, especially after they beat Ateneo in Season 70 in a game that totally derailed Ateneo’s drive for the championship. But in this game, I don’t know if NU will ever show their potential in Season 71.

NU started out strong and took a 21 – 12 lead early. But Peejay Barua went on a rampage and almost scored at will. He hit 17 points in the first half, including 5 treys. By the time the first half ended, La Salle had erased the early 9 point deficit and replaced it with a 10 point lead at halftime. The Green Archers erected a lead as big as 30 points and Coach Franz took advantage of this by fielding all his rookies which gave the fans a peek at this year’s team at work.

Rico Maierhofer also pushed his MVP title bid further with an all around game scoring 16 points, including 2 treys. 13 rebounds and mixed in his share of blocks and steals.

Coach Franz attributed the slow start to the difficult schedule that La Salle had this week. Aside from that hard fought win against UST last Thursday, it is also mid-tem exam week at DLSU.

Barua was just amazing as he made 75% of his attempts from the field. He has always been a dependable shooter that Coach Franz has continuously tapped to provide instant offense for the Green Archers. His time in the spotlight has come and so far he has come through.

What I liked in this game was the play of former National University juniors’ player MJ Mendoza. Watch out for this kid. He was a member of last year’s Mythical Five in the junior’s division (along with Joshua Webb) and he has the bulk and the height that will help this DLSU team. At one point in the game, Mendoza scored 6 straight points. His style is undoubtedly a perfect fit to the Pumaren system.
I was also very impressed with the highly emotional play of Joshua Webb. I am now officially a Joshua Webb fan!

This kid has got it all and will shine in no time. His intensity level did not diminish even if La Salle had already built an insurmountable lead. At one point, he did not back down from NU veteran Edwin Asoro and even the burly Aguilar.

I was with Macmac Cardona at my grandson’s baptism yesterday and he was telling me how he sees so much of himself in Webb. Cardona further said that the intensity level of Webb is what the team needs, especially because it is very contagious.

I was also very happy to see Marko Batricevic play and even score during the game. After languishing with an injury last year that saw him play only 2 minutes the entire season, I hope that Marko can now be the player that many hoped he could be.

With the team starting to slowly solidify after a pre-season plagued by injuries, the Green Archers are slowly but surely getting better. For one thing, their end game has improved tremendously from last year where they would collapse in the final minutes of the game. Their foul shooting is slowly getting better too.
Though they may not have as many “big names” as the other team, La Salle’s defense is its star component. As they say, “offense wins games, defense wins championships”.

The officiating has not improved one iota. It still sucks big time and it will suck even bigger as the season goes on. At one point during the DLSU game, Asoro drives to the basket and flagrantly elbows Webb in the mouth. But as expected it was Webb who was called for the foul. Even the TV commentators could not believe the call.

Bloodied and angry, Webb walks to the bench and a very concerned Coach Franz walks towards him to check on his player. Lo and behold Coach Franz gets a warning for walking into the court.
The National Amateur Blind Referees Organization (NABRO) needs to be replaced, but it’s too late to do so for Season 71. Let’s just hope that the Commissioner Almighty keeps suspending the referees until there are none of them left.

The Ekwe Issue:

This writer broke the Ekwe story about the wrong uniform issue during the San Beda – CSB game. The protest will be reluctantly filed on Monday or Tuesday and it will be up to the NCAA Mancom to decide.
This issue has many precedents. In lawn tennis, table tennis, track and field and even chess, teams have been slapped with forfeiture for committing this infraction. I believe that it is too hefty a penalty for the infraction but that is what the NCAA Mancom has laid down in its rules. Why punish the entire team when one player messes up?

However, at this point, it is not a judgment call.

The NCAA rules clearly state:

Rule #6
Playing Uniform and School ID

6.1 All athletes shall wear the OFFICIAL PLAYING TEAM UNIFORM in all the games/matches of the current NCAA Season.
6.5 Any athlete whose playing uniform does not conform to the
preceding rules shall be INELIGIBLE to participate in a given game/match.
9.2 A team shall lose the game by FORFEITURE if and when:
9.2.1 An INELIGIBLE athlete is fielded or enters the playing court with an intent to play. He and his team shall lose the game/match BY FORFEITURE.

This is a microcosm of our country. The problem is not that there are no laws, it is the implementation that is subject to scrutiny. Jaywalking may not be a major offense but everyone knows it is still against the law. Yet most people pay no attention to it. That is how much we as country respect rules.

Now, you hear so many reasons on why San Beda should not forfeit the game. There is no reason in the world that can justify breaking a rule that all member schools ratified. The message that is being sent is simply wrong.

If it is possible, I believe that CSB should not be given the win but I would also take away the victory from San Beda. This way the beneficiary will be the rule of law.

Tags: Bulldogs, Green-Archers, La-Salle, NU, Sam-Ekwe, UAAP-Season-71

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Posted in The Green Mind