DAWN Ochea's former coaches at Adamson leapt to his defense on Friday, saying they believed the ex-Soaring Falcon will never be part of any game-fixing activities.
"Knowing him, I don’t think he’s capable of doing [game-fixing]," said coach Mike Fermin.
Coach Franz Pumaren, in his experience, added, "In his batch, you can consider him as our choirboy because of his demeanor and attitude."
Ochea was one of the players from ARQ-Lapu-Lapu City Heroes who were suspended for their roles in the controversial Pilipinas VisMin Super Cup match against the Siquijor Mystics.
He was the one seen in viral videos horribly bungling his free throws, hitting only the board twice before finally hitting the rim but missing his third charity.
Ochea was fined P15,000 and was suspended for the rest of the first round, together with peers Jojo Tangkay, Reed Juntilla, Monbert Arong, and Ferdinand Lusdoc.
Meanwhile, Rendell Senining was suspended for the rest of the tourney and was also meted with a P15,000 fine.
All members of the Siquijor team, on the other hand, were banned for life by the regional league on Thursday.
In the eyes of Adamson coaches, the Ochea they knew is a true gentleman who will try his best for the sake of the team.
"He's a soft-spoken player and didn't give us any problems," Pumaren said. "He's really an ideal student-athlete."
Fermin agreed, noting, "Mabait talaga siya, very humble, and mild-mannered."
"Masyado siyang emotional pag natatalo or masama ang game niya at gusto niya agad makabawi to show that he's better. But you won't see that pag nasa loob siya ng court kasi gusto niyang ipakita sa teammates niya na strong siya."
Ochea, who came from Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu in high school, spent all of his five years in the UAAP with Adamson from 2013 to 2017.
His most memorable moment in San Marcelino was his game-winner in a 62-61 Adamson victory over Ateneo in UAAP Season 79 back in 2016.
Still, Pumaren couldn't help but be disappointed with what he saw in the game and argued that dubious performances like those has no place in basketball.
"We don't tolerate those acts," he said.
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