SBC's Nigerian rookie's suspension reduced

MANILA, Philippines - The NCAA reduced the one-year ban on San Beda’s Nigerian rookie Olaide Adeogun to a four-game suspension while hinting at stopping four incoming rookie transferees from Mapua from playing in Season 88 due to residency issues.

League president and Letran rector-president Fr. Tamerlane Lana, OP, said the Policy Board decided to reduce the 6-8 Adeogun’s penalty to just four games from the original six it has originally planned after San Beda made a strong appeal for a suspension of not more than three games.

“After a deliberation, the NCAA Policy Board has decided to reduce the one-year suspension to just four games,” said Lana in yesterday’s press conference at the Gateway Suites.

But the league directed Adeogun, who was among those involved in last year’s brawl with the San Sebastian volley squad, to first withdraw his letter to the Commission on Human Rights against the NCAA.

Adeogun is actually facing another league violation, which is misrepresenting the league due to that CHR letter which is equivalent to the punishment of expulsion.

Adeogun, however, promised to withdraw his CHR letter.

The league also reduced the two-game suspensions of Baser Amer, Anjo Caram, Rome dela Rosa, Ryussei Koga, Carmelo Lim, Jaypee Mendoza, Jake Pascual, Kyle Pascual and Michole Sorela to just one.

Without Adeogun and the rest, the San Beda Lions will have to do with six players – transferee Art dela Cruz, sophomore Christian Dave Moralde and rookies Francis Abarcar, Antonio Bonsubre, John Mark Ludovice and Ritchie Villaruz – when they take on the Arellano U Chiefs on Sunday at The Arena in San Juan City.

The league opens shop on Saturday at the Big Dome with a twinbill featuring Letran versus San Sebastian and Jose Rizal against Mapua.

The Cardinals, for their part, could be playing undermanned for the whole of the year after four of their incoming players – Gab Banal, Joseph Eriobu, Mark Brana and Jessie Saitanan – face eligibility questions on their residency years.

The development came as a big blow to Mapua’s bid after the Intramuros-based school decided to drop 6-6 Fil-Palestinian Yousef Taha from its roster for personal issues.