Rommel Duco, who used to play for Montana Pawnshop Team B, sent me a video of the John Amores incident.
As he was running his way to attack other players, I was a bit surprised that no one ever grabbed him to prevent the unfortunate incident.
You see, ladies and gentlemen, this is not the first time that Amores was involved in an incident where he was hitting other basketball players.
For a player who has the tendency to throw punches, he is already a marked man for me. If I am part of the Jose Rizal University squad, I would look after him, very closely, because he may erupt anytime.
If I were with the NCAA, I’ll keep a close eye on him because of the previous complaint lodged against him.
Duna gyuy player nga mangita sumbagay. I mean, that’s part of their personality.
The Davao basketball scene has plenty of stories about basketbrawls before. This happens because we are so passionate of the sport, that it has become part of the tournament, making it a headache to organizers.
It’s crazy, but it’s true.
Kumuton ang itlog sa player, kumuton ang kilid, sumbagon ang kuto kuto, sagpaon ang nawong ibis ang bola. Daghan paagi nga ma hugaw ang duwa. Mao nay Davao-brand of basketball kaniadto.
I can still vividly remember when the Davao Sportswriters Association (DSA) basketball team under coach Butch Ramirez was playing at the Rizal Memorial Colleges gym, Neil Bravo, was hit hard on the stomach by a player who had the tendency to play dirty. Neil could hardly breathe, and upon seeing it, a fuming Gene Boyd Lumawag went on to that player and did a Wolverine move, a whooping scratch on his face. Ni lupad si Buboy, and his claws, ni landing gyud sa nawong sa kontra. Tua, nakambrasan gyud.
See? Even in the media basketball tournament, things like that can happen because we are so passionate about the sport. When we play, we play hard, it’s all serious business.
My fear is that John Amores’ basketball career may be over because of the embarrassment. Gone are the days, that incidents like these are reported in the newspaper and aired over the sports radio. What he did was posted online! A simple Google search about it, and it is there!
Will John Amores seek professional help on anger management? I hope, he will. With the same intensity as that rampage of punching all those College of St. Benilde players.
This is no longer the 1970’s, 1980’s or 1990’s. These days, we already have professionals who can help players with anger issues.
If the anger issues are resolved professionally, he may be able to appeal to the NCAA and redeem himself in due time.
And hopefully, someday we will see him play in the professional league, a completely reformed basketball player.
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For comments, email mpb_sports@yahoo.com.
Daghang salamat!
