PINAGTANGGOL ni national coach Chot Reyes ang kaniyang mga Gilas Pilipinas player sa nangyaring rambulan sa pagitan ng Australia sa window 3 ng 2019 FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers, Lunes ng gabi sa Philippine Arena sa Bocaue.
Apat na minuto pa ang natitira sa third quarter, nag-riot ang Filipinos at Australians habang milya na ang agwat ng mga dayo, 79-48.
“It’s unfortunate, we didn’t want that to happen. It’s absolutely unacceptable,” ani Reyes. “But the reality is, (Daniel) Kickert was hitting our players during the warm-ups. He hit Carl Bryan Cruz, he hit Matthew Wright, he hit (Roger) Pogoy, and he hit Calvin Abueva.”
May lumalagpas daw na mga Gilas player sa center line papunta sa side ng Australians, at tinutulak sila ni Kickert.
Pinigil na raw ng coaching staff ang ibang player na naiinis, pinagsabihan na huwag nang pansinin ang Australian at mag-focus sa laro. Pero nang inulit sa third, hindi na naawat ang Gilas.
Bago nagkagulo, sinagasaan ni Pogoy si Chris Goulding at natawagan ng offensive ang Gilas guard. Lumapit si Kickert, binigwasan ng siko sa mukha si Pogoy at naglabo-labo na. Pati mga Gilas player na nasa bench, sumugod.
“It was a basketball play but he (Kickert) was the one who came in and decked Pogoy for the fifth time. You can’t expect to do that to a team for five times and not expect to retaliate,” dagdag ni Reyes.
