Falcons coach slapped one-game suspension

MANILA, Philippines - UAAP Season 78 basketball commissioner Rebo Saguisag yesterday slapped Adamson Falcons coach Mike Fermin a one-game suspension for his action during the team’s 71-88 setback to La Salle last Sunday.

Fermin was ejected after making a slit-throat gesture at the 6:46 mark of the fourth quarter, complaining against the unsportsmanlike foul slapped on Dawn Ochea and a succeeding technical foul that he felt eased the momentum of the rallying Falcons.

“(It’s an) outright ejection; a disqualifying foul and if you follow Fiba, it’s defined as ‘any flagrant, unsportsmanlike action’ so it’s not necessarily contact, it could be behavioral in nature. So if it’s flagrant and unsportsmanlike action, then it could amount to disqualifying foul,” Saguisag told The STAR.

Saguisag said under league rules, an ejection leads to an outright ban for the offender.

“You know ang house rules namin sa UAAP, if you’re thrown out, that would result into one-game suspension so that’s by operation of law,” he said.

The lawyer-commissioner stressed that the act of Fermin, a friend of his and contemporary from University of the Philippines, was uncalled for and a conduct unbecoming of a coach.