La Salle moved on from controversy; UP does the same

MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

La Salle moved on from the alleged “spit-or-not?” incident that dominated the most recent conversation on the UAAP Season 87 men’s basketball tournament.

It didn’t take long for University of the Philippines (UP) to do the same.

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“I let that go,” said UP’s Reyland Torres, one of the prime figures of the controversy where Archers coach Topex Robinson was accused of spitting on the Maroons standout, who allegedly whispered not-so-sweet nothings when he passed in front of the La Salle mentor.

“[It was time] for me to put that aside,” Torres added. “The team is much more important and each of my teammates are more important [than the incident]. That’s over now. We have a goal as a team and that’s what we will focus on.”

The Maroons did refocus on basketball, dismantling University of Santo Tomas (UST) with a big run to start the fourth quarter en route to an 83-73 victory on Sunday.

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The day before, La Salle also turned the page on the issue, halting University of the East’s red-hot streak with a 77-68 decision.

Robinson also made peace with the incident.

“I ask for apologies from the kid for what I did … and I hope we get the chance to forget this [because] it’s already getting tiresome [listening to] accusations from other people,” Robinson said.

Both teams did leave a little nudge, though, before walking off the incident.

For UP coach Goldwin Monteverde, it was a message that seemed to settle the most hotly debated question out of the incident: What transpired between Robinson and Torres?

“I’m very confident that the UAAP would be very strict [the next time around] to make sure that there will be no more spitting incidents or something like that during games,” Monteverde said after leading the Maroons to their seventh win in eight games.

“What’s important is the well-being of players, of Reyland, and hopefully, something like this doesn’t happen again.”

Calling out fan

Robinson, meanwhile, refused to let one incident pass without acknowledging it, calling out a fan who apparently berated him after the game in front of his family.

“You shamed me in front of my family [and] in front of [several] people, you accused me,” Robinson said, addressing the fan as a certain “Mrs. Villanueva.” “The reason why I couldn’t answer [your accusations] is because it wasn’t me who did [whatever you said]. I hope that when we see each other, you will also find the courage to tell me that you were wrong [with your accusations].”

Both teams are now tied at 7-1 (win-loss) records, with La Salle officially the No. 1 team by virtue of that 68-56 master class by the Archers in the first round that was overshadowed by the incident between Robinson and Torres.

Robinson and Torres received stern warnings from the league, avoiding suspension after the investigation had no conclusive evidence about the alleged spitting incident and the player’s alleged profane language toward the La Salle coach that triggered the spat.

“I think [the decision of the UAAP] was OK,” Torres said. “I guess they studied the incident thoroughly and they were fair. Whatever the decision is, I’m thankful.”

“The UAAP made the decision,” Monteverde said. “[W]e’ll abide by it and I’m sure [from] our [view], they didn’t just come up with any decision. They studied it well, they met over it. We respect that. What happened has happened.”

La Salle next faces UST on Wednesday, hoping to build on its four-game winning run, which is now the longest active streak in the UAAP.

UP, meanwhile, returns to the court on Oct. 20, when it battles NU. INQ