Crack Mapua guard banned for the season

The NCAA management committee yesterday cracked the whip on Mapua’s Jeff Martin who was banned for the rest of the season after he continued to display unsportsmanlike conduct despite a previous warning from the league’s disciplinary body.

Martin, a cocky, trash-talking point guard, once again drew the ire of league officials for trying to instigate a fight with St. Benilde players in the dying seconds of their game last Monday at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.

The game ended in forfeiture after Mapua officials ordered its players to walk out of the game with St. Benilde enjoying a 65-50 lead with 10 seconds left. Martin was suspended for three games last month for a punching foul on St. Benilde’s Paolo Orbeta.

Fr. Bede Hechanova of host San Beda, who chairs the management committee, said he has personally informed Mapua board representative Ding Lozano of their decision to ban Martin for the rest of the league’s 78th season.

Bede added that Martin, presently nursing a knee injury, will be banned permanently from the league if the latter commits a similar offense once he is allowed to plunge back into action.

"We hope the punishment would set an example and warn the others that the NCAA would not tolerate this kind of behavior," Hechanova told The STAR. "One more offense and he’s (Martin) out of the NCAA for good."

The harsh punishment came a day after the NCAA committee, which met for six grueling hours last Tuesday, gave erring coaches Horacio Lim of Mapua and Dong Vergaire of St. Benilde and the indecisive referees a mere slap on the wrist following the controversial game.

The NCAA committee, instead of issuing stiff penalties on the officials for failing to control their players and the game in general, left the decision to the school heads to impose disciplinary measures on their respective officials.

Last Monday, Martin stormed into the court after teammate Edsel Feliciano and St. Benilde’s Al Magpayo figured in a heated verbal tussle after the latter was slapped an unsportsmanlike foul.

How Martin’s suspension would affect Mapua’s campaign will be known today when the Cardinals face the Jose Rizal Bombers at 4 p.m. at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum with the Cardinals hoping to rekindle their flickering final hopes.

Defending champion San Sebastian, on the other hand, aims to keep its grip of second spot when it meets skidding Perpetual Help at 2 p.m.