Ilad appeals suspension

The letter was addressed to Fr. Ermito de Sagon of UST as UAAP’s 70th season president and signed by La Salle player Brian Ilad. Last Friday, it reached Fr. Sagon’s office within the 72-hour window allowed to appeal the UAAP Technical Committee’s decision – upheld by the Board of Trustees – suspending the 6-5 cager for six games.

At 1 this afternoon, the Board will convene in an emergency meeting to take up Ilad’s appeal at the Araneta Coliseum. Two hours later, La Salle and Ateneo will take to the floor in the first of two possible meetings before moving to the finals against UE.

Ilad’s letter was written with remorse. He apologized profusely for bringing “dishonor to the UAAP by my unsportsmanlike conduct – and I am truly sorry for it.”

Because it is his first and last year playing in the UAAP, Ilad begged for mercy and pleaded for the chance to redeem himself on the court.

“I do not come from a rich family and I need basketball as a profession to support my family,” he said. “For humanitarian reasons, for my family and for my institution, I kindly appeal to your heart of hearts to lessen my sentence from the present six games to three games.”

What Ilad is praying for is the opportunity to play out his UAAP eligibility on the floor, not sitting on the bench or in the bleachers in civvies. The memory of a suspension until the end of one’s career will forever be a harsh reminder of a season gone wrong. Ilad is down on bended knees, begging for clemency as the black mark will be difficult to live down the rest of his life.

“I apologized to Mark Fampulme and to UE,” he continued. “I apologized to my teammates, team officials, school officials and my university. Now, I apologize to the league. To show my sincerity, I am willing to issue an apology on national television. I am willing to abide by your instructions. This is to prove that I am really contrite. I also promise to control my temper and never to do this again.”

Ilad explained that his teammates wore a No. 15 patch on their jerseys for the Ateneo game last Sept. 18 as an expression of support and sympathy, not to protest his suspension.

Ilad’s request is to sit out three games, instead of six, as his penalty – meaning, if approved by the Board, he will still not be able to suit up in a possible do-or-die game against Ateneo for a finals ticket (assuming the Blue Eagles win today).

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After winning the opener of the UAAP juniors best-of-3 title series between La Salle and Ateneo at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium last Saturday, the Zobel cagers were shocked to find their lockerroom in disarray.

Stadium guards were at a loss as to how thieves broke into the dugout (was it an inside job?) and carted away cellphones, iPods, wallets, cash and other valuables. A witness said the guards had the audacity to blame La Salle officials for not providing their own security.

One player, Mike Pardo, lost his cellphone and when his father dialed the number, someone answered and tried to negotiate a deal, saying sorry but he just needs the money. Before agreeing on a deal, the line got cut and they were never reconnected. Another player Colin Buckley lost a bundle in cash (was it P15,000?), a cellphone and an iPod.

Joshua Webb, one of the Chosen Few who participated in Kobe Bryant’s personalized clinic during his recent Manila visit, was spared by the thieves. Teammate Nico Elorde (son of Johnny and Liza, grandson of the late world junior lightweight champion Flash) was also spared.

By the way, Webb’s grandfather Freddie (the PBA legend) said the 17-year-old star is being courted by at least three UAAP schools to join their senior varsities next season. UP has sent feelers through former coach Joe Lipa. Alma mater La Salle and Ateneo are interested, too.

“Joshua would like to go to a school that’s a contender and where he can get to play minutes,” said Freddie. “He’ll look at the team makeup, the coaching staff, the system of play and of course, the education the school offers.”

Defending champion Ateneo – the winningest UAAP junior team with 15 crowns – topped the double-round eliminations with a 13-1 record. UP spoiled the Eaglets‚ bid for a sweep. La Salle, who won its first-ever UAAP title under coach Boris Aldeguer in 2005 since joining the league in 1986, wound up at 11-3, losing twice to Ateneo and once to FEU. In the Final Four, Ateneo was ranked No. 1, La Salle No. 2, FEU No. 3 and NU No. 4. Both the Eaglets and Junior Archers enjoyed a twice-to-beat advantage. Ateneo needed a second game to oust NU while La Salle finished off FEU, 67-61.

Game 2 of the title series is set on Saturday.