Header Ads Widget

Ariel Vanguardia defends late timeout leading to endgame confrontation with Pido Jarencio

Coach Ariel Vanguardia explained why he needed to call the controversial timeout that led to his spat with Coach Pido Jarencio. PBA Images
By Ivan Saldajeno

MANILA--An endgame commotion between the protagonists' head coaches quickly overshadowed Blackwater's 97-90 win against NorthPort on Saturday night at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.

The fracas stemmed from Coach Ariel Vanguardia's decision to call a timeout with 6.6 seconds left and his team already winning.

The timeout did not sit well with Coach Pido Jarencio, and instead of shaking his hand with Vanguardia, he shoved him using his belly.

Vanguardia even claimed Jarencio uttered choice words at him and even his mother during the confrontation, which was quickly dispelled by cooler heads.

"Mahal na mahal ko ang nanay ko. Every victory, nami-miss ko siya. Pumanaw na siya. Huwag lang mumurahin yung nanay ko, and I apologize [to the reporters here and on Zoom] na pagpasok ko dito [sa press room], medyo mainit ang ulo ko kasi nasama yung nanay ko eh. Talagang very emotional ako doon sa nanay ko kasi alam naman natin na I'm very close to my mom," Vanguardia said during the hybrid post-game press conference.

Despite of that, he apologized to Jarencio for offending him with the late timeout, saying, "Coach Pido, I'm sorry kung na-offend kita. I apologize kung hindi ako tumira doon sa last possession, pero hindi kita minura. Hindi ko gagawin yun sa iyo dahil ang taas ng respeto ko sa iyo."

Vanguardia, though, explained that he had to set up a play due to potential playoff implications.

With the outcome, the Bossing moved up to 2-1 while dropping the Batang Pier to 2-2, but with a great possibility of them ending up tied, he thought they might need to stretch their lead to gain some upper-hand in the tiebreaker.

"I had to do what I have to do. Gusto ko ring umiskor noon, pero walang opportunity. Hindi kami naka-score, but it doesn't take away the efforts that my players gave," Vanguardia further said.

However, he insisted, "Hindi pa ako nag-iisip ng quotient. Paano ako mag-iisip ng quotient eh ilang taon na kaming hindi pumapasok sa playoffs?"

Follow him on Twitter: @IvanSaldajeno

Post a Comment

0 Comments