Cebuano Pingoy disappointed with officiating in Adamson-La Salle F4 game

EVEN after the UAAP announced the suspension of the three referees that officiated the highly-controversial semifinal game between the Adamson Falcons and the La Salle Green Archers, Falcons guard and Cebuano standout Jerie Marlon “Koko” Pingoy still could not help but feel awful about their ouster from the UAAP men’s basketball tournament.

In that game which the Archers won, 82-75, the Falcons got called for a whopping 33 fouls that resulted in 39 free throws for La Salle. In stark contrast, La Salle was whistled for just 12 fouls that led just five free throws for the Falcons in the entire game.

Adamson was actually in front for most of the game before La Salle took over in the fourth.

“I feel bad about the officiating,” said Pingoy, who played for the University of Cebu in high school before transferring to Far Eastern University and becoming a two-time MVP in the UAAP’s high school division.

“I was hoping that they would let the players decide the outcome of the game. The UAAP is considered to be one of the most prestigious leagues in the country and then, they let something like this happen?” he added.

UAAP Commissioner Rebo Saguisag announced that he has suspended referees Enan Alejo, Ian Borbe and Mollie de Luna immediately after the game last Saturday, and even before Adamson lodged a formal complaint “against the lamentable calls made by the referees who officiated the La Salle-Adamson game.”

But Pingoy stopped short of describing the nature of the officiating and expressed how much work he and the rest of his teammates put in, only to go through something as disappointing as that.

“I’m not saying that it was biased, but they should have called the game fairly since we worked so hard for this. In the end, everything felt useless because we did everything we possibly could to gain this opportunity only for it to be taken away like that,” said the court general.