Poor sport.
That well describes the action of the Jordan national basketball team, which walked out from the second game of its tuneup match with members of Team Pilipinas training pool Wednesday night at the Meralco Gym.
The hosts were leading, 82-73, with six minute and 26 seconds remaining in the contest marked by rugged plays capped by bitter verbal tussle between national coach Yeng Guiao and his Jordan counterpart Joseph Steibing.
The shouting match between the two coaches came after a Jordan player threw the ball at Scottie Thompson right in front of Guiao and the hosts’ bench.
Guiao confronted the guilty Jordan player at the sideline after the incident with Steibing following suit, resulting in players of both teams emptying their benches that caused the stoppage of the game.
The intervention of the proverbial cooler heads, led by Samahang Bassketbol ng Pilipinas president Al Panlilio, prevented the incident from escalating further, though.
“
Steibing shouted at me saying he was going to take my ass so I challenged him to do it,” Guiao told newsmen later. “He didn’t do it. I just didn’t want to be bullied in my own country. They were bullying us all the way.”
Steibing, for his part, accused Guiao of cursing, calling his players names.
“I’m disappointed from a coaching standpoint when an opposing coach curses your players,” said Steibing as he ordered his players out of the playing court.
“I just think it’s unprofessional. I’m a coach. I would never talk to another player. I would never curse at them,” he added. “In our profession, we need to teach our kids the right way to act.”
The two-game tuneup was requested by the Jordan team as part of its preparation for its own window of the FIBA World Cup Asian qualifiers.
The national plays Lebanon next on Friday and Sunday, also to determine who will compose the 12-man PH team to be fielded in their separate qualifying window against Kazakhstan on November 30 and Iran on December 3.
As early as in the first half, Guiao already had confronted Mohammed Hussein at midcourt after the bruising Jordan big man committed a hard foul on Christian Standhardinger in the second quarter.
“Again I felt that was unnecessary. It was a takedown, tapos dinaganan niya pa si Stan,” said Guiao of the incident.
The Filipinos rallied from 19 points down and gained steam in the third period behind the San Miguel trio of June Mar Fajardo, Marcio Lassiter, Standhardinger, and Ginebra guard LA Tenorio.
The national team got the upper hand at the 4:44 mark after Tenorio made a three-pointer and Fajardo sank a pair of free throws to make it 58-57. Things continued to go Gilas’ way, leading by 10 after four straight points by Arwind Santos, 2:32 left in the third.
“We really played a bad first half. I felt there was a lack of effort on our side but after our huddle at the halftime the guys responded,” Guiao said. “That’s a tribute to the determination of the guys. That’s a tribute to them not wanting to be embarrassed in situations like this.”
All the Ginebra and San Miguel players in the pool suited up with Gabe Norwood, Stanley Pringle, Beau Belga and Matthew Wright.
Poy Erram, Paul Lee, Jayson Castro, Troy Rosario, and Gilas cadet Ricci Rivero were present but were in street clothes.