UAAP backs refs after Gavina rant; Baclaan out for season
They may be idiots in the eyes of University of the East coach Chris Gavina.
To the UAAP, though, they made the right call.
The league backed its referees, who were roundly criticized in the aftermath of a controversial match between UE and La Salle, suspending Warriors standout Wello Lingolingo for three games for his role in the contentious game.
Lingolingo’s foul on Archers guard Kean Baclaan—called at the 4:21 mark of the fourth quarter—sparked controversy and fury from Gavina, who insisted it was a hustle play gone wrong. But the league, after review, sided with the game officials, citing “excessive and forceful contact.”
The UAAP slapped the suspension on Lingolingo for “an unsportsmanlike foul (Criteria 2) committed last Wednesday, Oct. 15, during University of the East’s UAAP Season 88 Collegiate Men’s Basketball game against De La Salle University,” it said in a statement.
Before the league’s decision, a fuming Gavina torched the referees in an expletive-filled rant for ejecting the UE wingman after he fell on Backlaan’s knee during a scuffle for the loose ball.
Baclaan shoved Lingolingo off his knee almost instantly and grimaced in pain before being stretchered out of the coliseum.
“I watched the video. They told me that Wello jumped f****** purposely on Baclaan on a loose ball? Get the f*** out of here,” Gavina said. “Call a regular foul. You call an unspo on a play like that? Wello had 24 points at that moment. 24. They’re supposed to be the best of the best? Get the f*** out of here. Hell no. (They) took away our effort.”
He added: “I hope these three referees never f****** ref again in any of our games. It was a complete disservice for the outcome of this game and the beauty of the competition was taken away.”
Baclaan was later diagnosed with an MCL tear and will be sidelined for the rest of the season along with La Salle teammate Mason Amos, who also suffered the same injury.
Lingolingo, who had tallied 24 points before his ejection, will miss UE’s game against FEU on Sunday, as well as the team’s first two outings in the second round. The UAAP clarified that the Red Warriors may file a motion for reconsideration.
“While the referees had already called for a jump ball, Lingolingo dove for possession and landed on the right knee of La Salle’s #13, Kean Baclaan,” the UAAP statement read. “Upon review, it was determined that the foul involved excessive and forceful contact made by a player in an attempt to play the ball or an opponent.”
Baclaan, meanwhile, posted on social media: “I just want to say that I’m out for the entire season, and this isn’t what I wanted or expected to happen. I cried so much last night and felt really down about my situation, but I just kept thinking about my future for my family and my career.”
