CHICAGO - With his star turn in the ongoing PBA Philippine Cup conference where Magnolia is sitting on top of the leaderboard, Zavier Lucero has been reluctantly reveling in the spotlight.
But last Wednesday night at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium, the 6-foot-6 juggernaut found himself on the wrong side of the headlines when he was tackled by Meralco forward Cliff Hodge.
The fallout from the hard, horse collar foul was swift, resulting in a one-game suspension and a P100,000 fine on Hodge.
READ Cliff Hodge apologizes to Zavier Lucero and his family
Deputy commissioner Eric Castro and technical committee head Bong Pascual were also suspended a game each for 'procedural lapses' that kept the league from hitting Hodge with a flagrant 2 foul while Magnolia assistant Mon Jose was suspended for a game and docked P20,000 for headbutting Hodge.
And for the first time since that controversial play, the shy, soft-spoken Fil-Am from California spoke about the ordeal.
SIGH OF RELIEF.
"Luckily, I sustained no injury from the action," Lucero told me via text message.
After taking some time "to process" the chain of events, the serial scorer admitted being "very upset," but that the level of anger has since simmered over time.
In a separate interview last Thursday, Hodge told me had reached out to Zavier via Instagram to apologize to Lucero and his family.
"I haven't responded yet," Lucero shared. "But I do accept his apology."
However, Lucero explained it will need more time for fences to be fully, truly mended.
"I wish he would take full accountability for his actions. I've been in situations before where another player deliberately tried to hurt me, and while I'm not someone who seeks revenge I'm also not one to quickly exchange niceties after an altercation like this."
Although he respects the PBA's decision as it pertains to Hodge's penalties, Lucero isn't feeling completely whole.
TEACHABLE MOMENT.
"I can't help but feel disappointed. Moving forward, I hope we'll see a more proactive approach to player safety, rather than just reacting after the fact."
It's actually a fair, intelligent point.
Deterrence and the continuing education about the dangers and consequences of flagrant fouls is just as vital as throwing down a harsh disciplinary hammer when things go array.
"I just want to hoop without looking over my shoulder."
If the near brush with a serious injury affected Lucero's game with a mild case of post-traumatic stress, he didn't show on Sunday.
In Magnolia's 119-105 loss to Rain or Shine, the former Fighting Maroon went cooking with 17 points, six rebounds and three blocks while hitting 7-of-13 shots.
Zavier Lucero is unbreakable.
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