Les Tan/Red Sports
For the first time in a long while, I saw red. No, not Red Sports red, but angry red.
When your team loses to a better team, it’s ok. But when the winning team takes cheap shots, that’s another matter.
Last night, Mark Caguioa punched* Kyle Jeffers of the Singapore Slingers. As Kyle tried to get past Eric Menk, Caguioa came down with a clenched fist.
But hey, don’t take my word for it. You can see it in the sequence of pictures below.
The Ginebra Kings are a good team and they play good, entertaining ball. But ballers like Mark Caguioa should learn to do it with some class.
After all, this is basketball, not boxing.
What a thug.
Mark Caguioa jumps high, anticipating a jump by Kyle Jeffers of the Slingers (red). (Photo 1 © Francis Espeleta)
As he falls back to the court, Caguioa clenches his fist… (Photo 2 © Francis Espeleta)
… and follows through with a punch on Jeffers head. Jeffers winces from the challenge but the umpire missed that foul. What a thug. (Photo 3 © Francis Espeleta)
* I mistakenly wrote that he got away with the punch. Reader Gohan correctly pointed out that he was called for a hacking foul. My mistake.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZavNb8d1aM
Its the heat of the game. These things happen in basketball.
The officiating really sucks! if not for the non-calls and missed calls Ginebra would have won easily. Singapore is always helped by the referees (Smart Gilas were just lucky to have won the previous game)..hahaha…..be fair….Winning by cheating is not something anyone to be proud of! Slingers players were just ‘cry babies’…hahaha…
don’t give me your crap mart that it is an accident. It is intentional please.
This was definitely a thuggish play. I have been watching NBA, Euro, NBL and slinger basketball for years. That kind of a hit is reviewed and gets a player suspended for future games in any other professional league. Perhaps the PBA is a free for all and all sorts of unsportsmanlike behaviour is tolerated.
That being said, I don’t see the reason to continue to whine about it. The slingers have played so many matches against PBA teams, they should by now expect to see disgusting characters show up to play. They have to be ready for dirty plays at all times and not lose their cool no matter what. I can’t believe that they were not expecting this kind of behaviour, everyone knows its going to come from the filipino players.
I think in the ABL, the play will be more regulated, since it is a professional league there can be video reviews of the games and appropriate fines and suspensions.
Anyway, the slingers now have a must-win game coming up, singaporeans can only come to watch a winning team it seems!
The aim needs to be to watch for dirty tactics and stay out of trouble and concentrate on the game and nothing else.
According to FIBA rules, a shot above the head is classified under a flagrant 2, which is an automatic ejection from the game. There is plain dirty. I have no respect for any Filipino player except for Al Vergara. Firstly, there aren’t much better than our Singaporean players and are only hyped up in Philippines. Secondly, they show no respect for players and the game. Cheap shots here and there! Losers.
@Gohan. Thanks, I didn’t know that. I shall see if I can spot future clenched fists to see how common it is. But given where the ball is, I don’t know what Caguioa was planning to hit other than Jeffers’ head unless he was anticipating Jeffers turning around and jumping and got it wrong.
They were were having verbal exchanges throughout the game, according to Jeffers.
It’s either an accident, a retaliatory response or something that was triggered by trashtalking.
Or it was really an accident. ONly the players know.
Bottomline, referees should be prepared for this incidents which may lead to fights and involve fan participation. We don’t want a football style riot in the ABL.
Yes mate I agree with you.
But can I share with u a “secret” that was told by my coach in high-school? We were taught that to strip the ball away, we need to do it with clenched fist.
Why?
First, the impact would be greater, making the strip a lot more effective than stripping with an open palm. Second, if we miss the ball and ended up hitting the opponent’s hand or arm, it wouldn’t make a slapping sound that would catch the attention of the referee. Yup it’s legal. We are after the ball all the time, never the arms to hurt our opponent-friends who happen to be our schoolmates.
Have a good evening, bro.
Back in Manila, there was a time when Mark was complaining that he has been a target of cheapshots by other players. Dennis Espino (now with Coca-Cola) replied (translated to English) when the topic was brought up by a courtside reporter: “don’t complain here, go to the city hall/police station and complain there”
Mister sports writer, u need to watch real basketball games like the NBA or EuroBasket. You will see a lot of hidden punches and elbows from centers jockeying for position. Or from point guards fighting/defending screens. Those can be classified as cheap shots. Hacking foul like the pictures above happens regularly. Sometimes the momentum of the player carries his hack, but in no way meant to hurt the palyer. He was faked, so he had to sway from a hitting a ball that’s not there anymore. I’m sorry if u were shocked to see a real game.
Jordan, Kobe, LeBron get cheap shots regularly. But unlike jeffers (who I maintain did not get a cheap shot), they don’t let it get into them. That’s the mark of great players. And u don’t see ESPN writing about these fouls.
More power to the staff of redsports. Let’s hope for an injury-free game all the time.
@Gohan: Thanks for your comments and educating me about the game. I am not a baller fan.
I am a Singapore sports fan. That’s why I set up this site.
But I didn’t like seeing the clenched fist. That really got to me. How often do you see clenched fists in a bball game? It happens often?
But hey, in any case, let’s have injury free games as you mentioned for all teams playing at the indoor stadium.
It’s just not nice seeing pros taking each other out. It’s their rice bowls after all.
Peace.
Mister sports writer, not only you missed the player’s name, you also failed to mention that there was a foul called. Were u even there last night?
If jeffers was really punched from way up high, he wouldn’t be able to get up quickly, let alone attempt to shoot free throws. U need to watch more MMA/UFC to realize this.
Lastly, a cheap shot is a sneaky attempt to hurt someone. The hacking foul was in full view of everyone, including the referree, which was why a foul was called. Perhaps you seeing red made your writing a bit in the red. Biased and emotion-laden sports writing is reserved for grade school students.
@Gohan: Yes, I am biased. And yes, there was a foul called. You are right.
But hey, I still think it’s a cheap shot.
I asked Jeffers and he said it grazed him so the punch was not full on.
So you need to see Jeffers lying there, passed out, with a brain contusion?
Like how Slinger Eric Sandrin was taken out by Ocampo of Air21 in last season’s game here at the Singapore Indoor Stadium?
Sandrin broke a vertebrae.
You can see the YouTube video here:
http://redsports.sg/2008/09/23/sandrin-ocampo-basketball/
And if you want emotionless writing, read the weather report.
..oh..maybe the situation was just brought by high emotions and misunderstanding and maybe mark caguioa just want to help his teammate..nobody is perfect right?..
Mid-air collision? Surely not, if only one person is mid-air!
The player in question was not Cruz but Mark Caguiao
ITS MARK CAGUIOA ! NOT CRUZ. CRUZ IS no.1 the point guard, IT IS #47 mark caguioa , the spark. i think u made a mistake
@ all who caught my error: Thanks for catching the mistake. My bad. And a bad one too. No excuses there. I didn’t check properly.
The crime however remains.
It cannot be a mid-air collision if Jeffers never left the ground.
And who plays basketball at any time with a clenched fist?
ffff… come on man.. a thug? its sports.. have you ever played basketball before? and if you did.. did you ever leave your feet.. its a mid-air collision
It’s not Celino Cruz…the person who did it (on top of Jeffers) is actually # 47, Mark Caguioa.
are you sure that is cruz? oh uh…check first before posting!! tsk tsk…
that is not cruz
that is mark caguioa
correction that was Mark Caguioa. And I believe it was more of a hard foul and not a punch. I was there and I think Jeffers had hit Menk before this play