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    Dehesa: 'It's not physicality but profanity.' Banal responds, 'Pikon talo'

    Dehesa-Banal word war lingers long after heated 3x3 semifinal
    Oct 30, 2020
    PHOTO: Jerome AscaƱo

    THE Chooks-To-Go Pilipinas 3x3 basketball has become known for its physicality, but what Butuan star Karl Dehesa didn't particularly like was the profanity.

    Still furious after a backstage commotion that erupted after his team lost to Gab Banal and the Nueva Ecija Vanguards in the semifinals of this event powered by TM, Dehesa rued the trash talking during the match was way below the belt.

    “It wasn’t physicality, I’m not worried about physicality, it’s more of being disrespected," Dehesa told SPIN.ph. "You know, when you are a winner, you want to win with grace, you want to win with honor, you want to be respected, you want to be a sportsman.

    “I felt in that moment, I was already upset we lost so that’s just the type of things that aren’t cool,” he added.

    Dehesa admitted that he waited for Banal at the tunnel right after the game, but not to confront his fellow ex-PBA player.

    “Yeah, I approached him, but only to talk to him. I just wanted a conversation with him, that’s it. Then it got heated, highly emotional, high-intensity tough environment, there were lots of stuffs going on,” said the Fil-Am guard.

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    A commotion soon ensued backstage. LOOK:

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      Asked what were the exact words Banal threw during the game, Dehesa replied: “I’d rather not say it. It was really explicit.”

      For his part, Banal said he did nothing that was against the tenets of basketball.

      It was all mind games, he added.

      “Part ng game ang trash talk, sabi ko nga sa kanila (ni Chris De Chavez), 'Kung nanalo naman kayo, hindi naman kayo magre-react ng ganyan,'” said Banal.

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      "I hope they learned. Ako kasi kung may ibang team na i-trash talk kayo sa game, masisira din ulo nila lalo na national team sila. Ibang bansa makakalaban nila,” added the son of former PBA coach Joel Banal.

      The former Mapua Cardinal bared that one of the factors that he knew right away how to get under the Butuan players' skin after seeing one of their practices.

      “Pinapanuod namin ang ensayo nila, dun pa lang nagkakapikunan na sila kaya alam na naman gagawin namin. Hope they don’t take that against us. They should realize that it’s part of the game,” he said.

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      “Hirap kasi sa kanila na lumaki sa abroad hindi sila sanay sa ganyang laruan. Kasi tayo na lumaki sa kanto alam natin yan. Pikon talo. Sabi nga n'ya sa kin, ‘Hey, you’re not supposed to say that.' Siguro sa Amerika, you’re not supposed to say that, kaso andito ka sa Pilipinas,” sad the Pasig-raised guard.

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      “Saka one million pesos ang pinaglalaban, gagawin talaga naming lahat. Ice tubig lang nakikipagpatayan kami dati, one million pa,” Banal added.

      And since Dehesa and the rest in the team are bound for the Fiba Olympic Qualifiers, Banal has one more advice for the national 3x3 team.

      “Ang basketball kasi skills 'yan, maraming skills ang basketball, kasama dyan ang mind games. Pag napikon sila - half the job done,” stressed Banal.

      Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph

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      PHOTO: Jerome AscaƱo
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