UAAP won't sack Tams' Cawaling

MANILA, Philippines - Forward JR Cawaling will get to suit up for Far Eastern University in Game 1 of the UAAP Season 73 men’s basketball finals after all.

UAAP commissioner Ato Badolato yesterday clarified that Cawaling won’t be serving any suspension despite getting thrown out of the game in the Tams’ 69-59 overtime win over Final Four rival La Salle because his infraction does not necessitate such sanction under the league’s rules.

“Cawaling wasn’t actually ejected by the referees. He was disqualified from the game based on Fiba rules which state that one unsportsmanlike foul and one technical foul would lead to disqualification of the (erring) player,” Badolato told The STAR.

“Since his fouls were not meant to harm, there’s no one-game suspension. He can play in the finals,” he added.

The UAAP automatically suspends players who are ejected by the referees for hard fouls that game officials felt were “meant to harm.” The latest to receive this sanction was University of Sto. Tomas’ Jaypee Sarcia, who got the boot in UST’s 77-71 win over Ateneo in Game 1 of the juniors finals and consequently sat out the Tiger Cubs’ 66-76 setback in Game 2 last Thursday.

Cawaling was slapped an unsportsmanlike foul for his hard foul against DLSU’s Simon Atkins with 4:27 left in the second period and the score tied at 22. Atkins and Cawaling later traded barbs and pushed each other, leading to a double technical foul.

It’s not only Cawaling who escaped sanction but also team officials of FEU, including coach Glen Capacio, who lost their tempers due to perceived unfair calls during the game. The FEU bench was called for a technical foul for improper bench decorum in the second quarter while Capacio himself was given a technical for vehemently disputing an offensive foul called on Pippo Noundou early in the fourth period.

“They were given a warning and a technical during the game and that will suffice,” Badolato said.

Even without Cawaling, the Tams managed to score the come-from-behind win that sent them to their first finals appearance since their championship run in 2005, their first in four years under Capacio.

The Tams now await the outcome of the other semis match between two-time defending champion and second seed Ateneo and No. 3 Adamson, set tomorrow at the Araneta Coliseum.