Red Lions’ season ends prematurely

REIGNING champions San Beda Red Lions bore the brunt of the NCAA’s wrath as they saw their upcoming season virtually go down the drain following the two-year suspension meted on head coach Frankie Lim and the one-year suspension on incoming player, Nigerian center Ola Adeogun, for their roles in the melee during an NCAA volleyball game in December last year.

Several others were also given different sanctions including assistant coach Ed Cordero and to both incoming and already-graduated Red Lions. Cordero was given a one-game suspension for “forcibly entering the San Beda gym while the volleyball game between University of Perpetual Help System Dalta (UPHSD) and San Sebastian College Recoletos was ongoing,” and another one “for disrupting the ongoing volleyball game between University of Perpetual Help System Dalta (UPHSD) and San Sebastian College Recoletos.”

Those receiving two-game suspensions were current Red Lions Kyle Pascual, Jake Pascual, Jaypee Mendoza, Rysie Koga, Garvo Lanete, Rome de la Rosa, Carmelo Lim, Daniel Sudan, Mar Villahermosa, Baser Amer and Antonio Caram.

According to a statement to the media released by the NCAA, the aforementioned players were given the suspensions for the same reasons as Cordero’s. NCAA Finals MVP Dave Marcelo was also slapped an eight-game suspension for instigating the fight, participating in the fight, entering the court and disrupting the ongoing match.

However, Daniel, Marcelo, Lanete and Villahermosa have already exhausted their playing years for San Beda.

But the biggest blow was given to Lim and San Sebastian volleyball head coach Roger Gorayeb, who were banned from joining any NCAA sponsored tournament for Seasons 88 and 89 under Rule # 8.1.1.5 of the NCAA Manual of Operation.

The incident happened on the San Beda campus late last year when Adeogun heard what he perceived to be racist chants made by members of the SSC men’s volleyball team while they were warming up for their game. Adeogun, who understands a bit of Tagalog, reported this to his teammates who then confronted the SSC players igniting the free-for-all which injured Gorayeb and a female volleyball player from SSC.

Villahermosa, a Bukidnon-native and a former stalwart of the University of San Jose-Recoletos before transferring to San Beda, said that the suspensions were unfair. “Grabe ka unfair ilang decision uy. Ang San Sebastian may nag-una-una unta unya kami may nasuspenso ug maayo,” Villahermosa told CDN yesterday. /Correspondent Jonas Panerio