final 4

A Wheeler’s Opinion: The Adamson Protest: Will it Work?

Franz Pumaren and company file a protest against what they thought was a biased officiating 

Franz Pumaren and company file a protest
Photo by PBA Media Bureau
Over the past weekend, the Final 4 of the UAAP Season 80 kicked off and was a mixture of fortunes. On one hand, the Far Eastern University Tamaraws took advantage of the horrible, ugly offensive performance by the top-seeded Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles who by the way, absorbed their second consecutive loss after winning 13 straight elimination games. That’s the reason why both teams will face again tomorrow to decide who will face the defending champions in the Finals.
Speaking of the defending champions, the De La Salle Green Archers are already Finals thanks to their quick job against the Adamson Falcons. However, that game was to be put in jeopardy as the Falcons formally submitted a formal protest yesterday against what the coaching staff called as the “worst officiating” that  Head Coach Franz  Pumaren had ever seen.  
How bad was it? Below are the disparities that Franz Pumaren had been ranting about:  
  • Free throws awarded
    • Adamson: 5
    • La Salle: 39
  • Fouls called against
    • Adamson: 33
    • La Salle: 12
Now, the UAAP has already taken action, suspending three referees who officiated the game. And with the protest already filed, officially,  the UAAP board will now review what went wrong and will see if there will be a need for a rematch. However, in an interview with CNN Philippines, UAAP Commissioner for Basketball, Rebo Saguisag, mentioned that the mistakes that were “made” during the game were not enough for the game to have a rematch. So, let’s just check out the possible scenarios below:

Adamson Wins Protest: Rematch Granted

Okay. This may sound simple and complex in many ways. Assuming that the UAAP board concluded that the officiating during that specific game was as bad as Pumaren was claiming and it will grant a rematch, then La Salle will have no choice but to play against the Falcons, again. However, La Salle, specifically Head Coach Aldin Ayo, shouldn’t mind a rematch. Why? They’ve beaten Adamson twice in the elimination rounds. They have the now two-time MVP Ben Mbala on board. And, they have the twice-to-beat advantage.

No Rematch. Protest Turned Down

Simple. No rematch. No further action will be taken. Everybody will move on and the Green Archers are still waiting in the Finals. 

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Conclusion

Let’s just hope and pray that whatever the UAAP board will do about Adamson’s protest, everyone will respect it regardless of who will benefit from the decision. For La Salle, with or without Adamson’s protest, they should be preparing for the Finals. For Adamson, on the other hand, it’s a wait-and-see game.