Ateneo head coach Louie Alas given 2-game suspension over unsportsmanlike conduct
The University Athletic Association of the Philippines handed Ateneo men's basketball head coach Louie Alas a two-game suspension following two infractions of unsportsmanlike conduct.
Alas committed two infractions of unsportsmanlike conduct on Nov. 7 during the heated Battle of Katipunan between the Ateneo Blue Eagles and the UP Fighting Maroons at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, which UP won 82-74.
In the first quarter, Alas was slapped with a technical foul after he entered the court to complain about a non-call. Despite being asked by a referee to return to the sideline, Alas stayed on the playing court.
As Ateneo applied a full-court press against UP in the last minutes of the game, UP power forward Jacob Bayla made a dunk, sealing an eight-point win for the Maroons.
Immediately after Bayla's dunk, Alas entered the court and pointed at Bayla while cursing at the player. During the post-game handshake, Alas did it again, prompting a tense verbal exchange with UP assistant coach Christian Luanzon before the two were separated.
The UAAP Commissioner's Office, in a decision on Monday, Nov. 9, said it determined that "Alas' actions escalated tensions between the two teams and risked potential altercations."
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Alas will serve his ban on Wednesday, Nov. 11, as Ateneo plays against Adamson Soaring Falcons, and on Sunday, Nov. 15, in the game against UST.
Alas: 'Emotions lang'
In a video interview shared by the Tiebreaker Times on Nov. 7, Alas explained his behavior as, "Emotions lang. Emotions."
"Pero may unspoken rule kasi 'yung ganu'n, eh. I know it's not in the rules, pero it happened na rin last game sa UST and FEU," Alas continued.
Apparently referring to Bayla's dunk, Alas said, "'Wag mong gawin 'yun. Panalo ka na, eh. Kung kami, hindi namin gagawin. Papagalitan ko talaga 'yung player ko 'pag ginanu'n."
"Anyway, it happened. Again, I'm sorry. Ang tanda ko na, nagalit pa 'ko. Pero it is what it is," Alas added.
He said the UP coaches other than Luanzon apologized to him.
"Sabi ko, 'Gawin sa 'yo 'yan ng kabilang team, instead na awatin mo na lang 'yung player mo [and say], 'That's wrong,' tutulungan pa? That's bad," Alas said, in an apparent dig at Luanzon.
Alas' previous violations
It is Alas' second game ban in UAAP Season 89.
His first suspension, which banned him from one game, was handed down after Alas reached the three-infraction limit in the first round of the season.
Per the UAAP Basketball Commissioner's Office, the first of Alas' three violations occurred on Sept. 19, at Ateneo's match against UP. During the game, Ateneo assistant coach Kerby Raymundo was handed a technical foul for improper bench decorum. The foul was charged to Alas.
The other two infractions took place during the Oct. 7 match between Ateneo and the De La Salle University Green Archers. Following a foul call, Raymundo was seen taunting DLSU's Vhoris Marasigan from the bench. For that, Alas was slapped with a direct technical foul for unsportsmanlike behavior, which was later amended to a bench technical foul.
Later in the game, Alas was observed forcefully pulling an opposing player to his feet then nudging another opponent with his elbow. Per UAAP House Rules and FIBA regulations, touching an opposing player outside regular basketball play is prohibited.
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