Last January 12, 2020, the championship game of Jayson Tagata Moises Intercolor Basketball League (IBL), featured two of the most stacked teams that participated in the league. Aco Santos’ JBBI – Big Bo against Jimson Pua’s Manila Classico. The two teams have already met a number of times in other leagues and true to its competitiveness, the result has always been what basketball fans will wish for. Exciting, action-packed see-saw battles that usually end in a true sportsmanship manner. This means, a team will win, and a team will lose. The very reason and meaning of “SPORTS”.
But on this fateful day last January 12, an unprecedented event happened. In a very tight and exciting match, where Pua’s Manila Classico was leading, 83-81 against JBBI-Big Bo, a crucial play happened during the fourth quarter of the finals match with
Play-By-Play
Manila Classico’s Marvin Borre with 36 seconds remains brought down the ball and tried to waste some time before driving to the basket. In the video, you will also see the 24 seconds shot clock on the upper right of the video. At exactly 7 seconds remaining in the shot clock, Borre drove hard to the basket. The ball did not touch the rim but bounced off the bottom of the board before it was rebounded by two JBBI-Big Bo player, who, unfortunately, lost the ball, and was controlled by Manila Classico’s Cris “Ant-Man” Inson, where JBBI-Bg Bo player fouled to stop the game.
With around 7 to 6.5 seconds, the initial call of the referees is to give Manila Classico two free throws because both teams are into a penalty. But JBBI-Big Bo players protested to the referees and committee saying that the call should be a shot-clock violation, were 12.5 seconds will remain and the possession will go to JBBI-Big Bo. After minutes and hours into the discussion, our team was surprised when the league commissioner decided what for me is a very “safe” decision. To call the game a NO CONTEST. (Seriously? NO CONTEST? You can only see this type of result in a boxing or MMA match).
On January 13, IBL Commissioner Jayson Tagata Moises posted this as part of his official statement:
What made the statement telling is that despite his league’s inability to decide and call the shots last January 12, Jayson Tagata Moises even had the gall and temerity to include the balances of the two teams as if saying that both teams have no reason to complain since you still have unsettled balances.
This post gave Coach Drew Bantug to post in his FaceBook a reply to Moises’ statement:
What happened last January 12 put the basketball community social media particularly those who know the league, the players and the teams on “fire” with a barrage of messages coming from players, coaches, referees having a take and opinion to what happened. Different speculations and assumptions have been made by different people, all of which are just concern with what had happened especially with the evidence of the video.
Here are some of the comments and messages in various chat groups that transpired after the “NO CONTEST” result. Names will not be reflected for anonymity purposes.
PLAYER X: “Yung Commissioner na si Jayson na kamukha ni Zaito ang lakas ng loob magpaliga pero nung kailangan ng tapang para mag-decide umakyat sa lalamunan ang bombolyas. Palibhasa team nya ang Big Bo. Naglalaro siya dun kaya kahit panalo na yung kabilang team, nag decide ng NO CONTEST kasi sa tingin ko naiipit sya sa team nya. Yan ang hirap kasi kita ang conflict of interest nya. Tutal kamukha naman sya ni Zaito, mag-flip top na lang sya at huwag ng mag paliga.“
PLAYER M: “Jaaysooooooooon! Gaaaaaagoooooooooo!”
PLAYER I: “Ang yabang pa ng kalbo na yun na bugs bunny. Para pa nyang nilalagyan ng asin ang sugat. Yung mga post pa nya parang nang-aasar. Napaka insensitive.“
Other players have even commented various photos of IBL Commissioner with the teams, who according to some of the players, Moises is also part of.
PLAYER O: “Nagpapaliga, mangongolekta ng kota para sila ang mag-champion. Kung di ba naman tarantado yan. Ang kapal pa ng mukha mag-post ng mga photo nya na kasama ang JBBI-Big Bo. Kitang kita mo kung gaano ka-bias. Kahit sa mga liga ng players na sina Ric Uy ng IFBL at LG at kahit si Coach Drew Bantug ng Drew League, walang gasyang problema kasi may malinaw na rules and wala silang pinapanigan sa mga teams dahil halos lahat kaibigan nila. Ito lang si Jayson ang talagang gago. Inunfriend pa nga ako nyan dahil sa mga posts ko. Guilty si Zaito!“
PLAYER JP: “Kupal. Panay ang post ng mga upcoming leagues nya di nya ayusin yung issue dun sa finals game. Kala mo pinipitas lang sa puno ng mga players ang pang quota.“
Some even made memes pertaining to IBL commissioner Moises.
Playing and participating in different basketball leagues is no joke. As a player, you spend on quota, uniforms and even expenses during games like water or Gatorade, transportation and food. Be thankful if your team has generous team managers or sponsors who will provide a budget for the team during games. But for most of the players who just want to play basketball, they not only spend their money in joining leagues and tournaments. Most of them, they sacrifice their time away from their family, the least that any commissioner should give is a fair and unbiased tournament.
As of this writing, Jayson Tagata Moises of IBL has not yet made any concrete decision or announcement on the finality of the championship match of Manila Classico and JBBI-Big Bo. Though there has been some calls for the Moises to return the quota given that the finals match ended with controversy, the embattled commissioner is not giving in.
There is no perfect tournament and as players passionate about the sport, we always desire to win. Even professional tournaments are sometimes marred with controversies. Sometimes, there is such a thing called “brakes of the game” where calls and situations will not favor you or your team.
But my heed and call are for all the players and even managers who have the passion for the sport of basketball, my only advice for you is to choose a league and tournament that has no conflict of interest and with a commissioner who can decide with confidence and finality any result or outcome of the game. Let us not allow another NO CONTEST to be decided by a “so-called” commissioner, notwithstanding the pride and sacrifices the teams have devoted to their league.
This NO CONTEST should be the FIRST and LAST.
