TOPEX Robinson urged the UAAP to simmer down its three-game ban on UE’s Wello Lingolingo following his late-game collision with La Salle’s Kean Baclaan last Thursday.
Even if Lingolingo became the unsuspecting culprit of Baclaan’s season-ending medial collateral ligament (MCL) tear, Robinson isn’t convinced that the Red Warriors forward deserves to sit out that long.
It was a sentiment the La Salle coach shared with Baclaan himself after a brief chat they had just days since the unfortunate incident.
“He (Baclaan) felt sorry that Wello has to lose three games,” Robinson said.
“The coach, the competitor in me, obviously [believes] he deserves to get suspended. But the father is me is pardoning the committee to kind of lower the games [of suspension] because he’s not really a bad player. Those incidents really happen.
“Sana mabigyan pa siya ng chance na makabalik pa because three games is going to be huge for him.”
READ: Lingolingo remorseful in apology statement for Baclaan
Lingolingo was handed an unsportmanslike foul (criteria 2) upon diving for the ball and inadvertently landing on the Green Archers guard’s right knee in a dead-ball situation.
The decision warranted a three-game suspension that will force him to miss Red Warriors' second-round opener, as they have already lost their first seven games of the season.
He has been the red-and-white’s third-leading scorer prior to the ban, norming 14.8 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.6 assists.
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