BOCAUE, Bulacan – Matthew Wright said Gilas Pilipinas players only stood by teammate RR Pogoy in the brawl that erupted on Monday night during the Fiba Basketball World Cup Asian qualifiers at the Philippine Arena.
The brawl erupted after Daniel Kickert elbowed Pogoy in the face, causing other Gilas Pilipinas to fight back with punches thrown at Australian players.
Nine players, including Wright, from Gilas Pilipinas were ejected.
“We just stood up for our guys,” said Wright, adding what Kickert did forced the host team to fight back.
“Because it happened before the game even started. Everyone knows we are a gracious host but if you pushed us to the limit, there is only so much we can do. I’m just happy that everyone stood for each other’s backs,” said Wright.
Wright felt no regrets about what happened, saying the team will probably do the same thing if it happens again to Gilas.
“I think it was just a chippy game. The main thing that happened is he hit Pogoy after the foul which was unnecessary. That caused the entire thing. It’s unfortunate we lost today. If ever it happened to us again, we will probably do the same thing. We have each other’s backs and we are a brotherhood. It’s more than just basketball,” said Wright.
“I just think that it was a dirty hit on Pogoy. That’s all I can say. Everyone saw it,” he said.
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