Former SWU cager pleads, ‘hear my side, too’

Former SWU Cobra Joseph Nalos, now playing for Adamson, hangs on to the neck of Ateneo’s Vince Tolentino in their game last Saturday.
INQUIRER

 
AFTER getting branded as a hooligan following the hard foul he committed on Ateneo’s Vince  Tolentino in a UAAP game on Sunday, Adamson guard Joseph Nalos said that he had no malicious intentions whatsoever during that play.

 
The unfortunate incident happened with 5:23 left in the third canto as the former Southwestern University cager Nalos rose up high after biting on a shot-fake by Tolentino. Caught between a rock and a hard fall, Nalos tried to break his fall by holding onto the head of Tolentino and the two ended up landing hard on the hardcourt.

 
A minor scuffle ensued afterwards as Ateneo star Kiefer Ravena came to his teammate’s defense and shoved the former Cobra to the floor.

 
“It was never my intention. I had no choice because if I didn’t hold on, I would have fallen hard and probably broken something because I was already on his shoulder,” said Nalos in his native tongue in an exclusive talk with Cebu Daily News.

 
When the dust settled, Nalos was ejected from the game while Ravena was assessed with an unsportsmanlike foul, which, after a review, was later rescinded by the league.

 
However, the backlash was noticeably felt by Nalos in the aftermath as he was hurt by spiteful comments on social media, some going as far as calling for his ban from the league this season.

 
A Cesafi juniors and seniors champion, Nalos joined the Soaring Falcons last season but saw limited minutes and finished with averages of 3.5 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.4 assists. This season, he has taken on the role of leader for this young squad and is delivering 11.2 points, 4 rebounds and 4.1 assists per outing.

 
Nalos said that he wanted to immediately apologize for what happened but instead was met by a charging Ravena. “I was going to stand up and say sorry but how could I do that when they were already charging towards me. That’s why I just walked away because I know I really had a fault there.”

 
Nalos, though, was noticeably peeved with not being asked for his version of the incident.

 
“I don’t know why nobody bothered to ask me about the incident, why nobody asked for my or Adamson’s side. But I just accept whatever comes. I just wanted to clear the air that I never had any bad intentions on that play. I have nothing but respect for Kiefer (Ravena) but I just hoped they asked for my side of the story.”