NCAA to decide on Letran’s fate today

Whether Letran would be sanctioned or not for its controversial legal action against the league will be decided on by the NCAA policy board today.

"I don’t know what the policy board will do but the Management Committee (Mancom) leaves it up to them to decide on the issue concerning Letran," said Mancom chairman Mike del Mundo.

The policy board, composed of the heads of the league’s member schools, convenes in an emergency meeting this afternoon in a restaurant in Manila.

Mancom members, who met yesterday, did not make comments on the issue but sources said the policy board might impose severe sanction on Letran if it pursues a court case against the league.

It will be recalled that Letran sought a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) to stop the league from enforcing a one-game suspension on Letran forward Frederick Rodriguez in their game versus Mapua Saturday.

It marked the first time in NCAA’s long and storied history that a member school resorted to legal action in disputing a Mancom decision. The move drew flak from the basketball community.

Aside from the TRO, Del Mundo said Letran is seeking damages in behalf of Rodriguez.

"We’ve asked the court through our lawyers for a postponement for us to have time in preparing answers for their (Letran’s) charges point by point," said Del Mundo.

Expected to preside ove the policy board meeting is Perpetual Help chancellor Dr. Ramon Cercado, deputy to NCAA policy board and Perpetual Help president Dr. Daisy Tamayo.

Meanwhile, Perpetual Help moved one win closer to a sure Final Four ticket as it buried Jose Rizal University’s own hope of a postseason stint with an emphatic 88-61 trashing yesterday at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.

Dom Javier scored a game-high 23 points and dished out 10 assists for the hot-shooting Altas, who, at 8-4, just need to win one of their remaining two assignments to book a seat in the semifinals.

Conrad Bauzon erupted for 10 of his 16 markers in the first quarter alone, while Robert Barnson and Vladymir Joe provided easy twinners inside to give coach Arturo Cristobal’s boys a 27-16 bulge at the end of first 10 minutes. And the rout was on.

Javier and Khiel Misa joined the fray in the second and third periods as Perpetual Help continued its torrid shooting, missing only one field goal attempt in one long stretch.

JRU couldn’t match the sweltering thrusts of the undermanned Perpetual Help, as it trailed by as many as 30 late in the match.

"Magaling talaga ang mga players ko," Cristobal said of his wards. "Although we only have nine men in the lineup, I think we can make it all the way to the top, barring any injuries."

Bauzon and Misa scored 16 and 15 respectively for the Altas. Marco Fajardo and Mark Lindaya each had 13 for the Heavy Bombers, who were ousted outright from playoff contention as they fell to 4-8.— Nathan Lee