Bad blood boils in FEU-La Salle faceoff

There’s no love lost whenever FEU and La Salle square off in senior men’s basketball, whether it’s in the UAAP or some other league or even in a supposed-to-be friendly practice game. They’re bitter rivals with their battles always hard-fought, nervewracking and highly emotional.

Two UAAP seasons ago, FEU knocked out defending champion La Salle, 67-64, on a buzzer-beating triple in the Final Four. It was the same story last season as the Tamaraws ended La Salle’s campaign with a 71-68 closer as the Green Archers failed to advance to the playoffs.

A month back, La Salle and FEU played in a late night tune-up at the Filoil Flying V Arena in San Juan. It was hardly a “practice” atmosphere as players from both sides tried to deliver a statement that when the season begins, watch out. The score was tied, 54- all, at the half. Then it got seriously ugly. Players were tackled, tripped, punched and kicked. Someone put up a fighting stance while another threw a flying kick on the way to the basket for a layup after a whistle.

FEU coach Nash Racela sat on the officials’ table, not on the Tams bench, and dodged the ball thrice on wayward passes that appeared to be directed at him. With La Salle up, 92-75, late in the third period, FEU assistant coach Eric Gonzales stormed the La Salle bench and confronted Archers coach Aldin Ayo, eyeball to eyeball. Team officials decided to halt the contest at that point.

Racela and Ayo both claimed they were pushed to the limit. “They threw the ball at me thrice, making it look like an accident, but that’s an old trick we all know,” said Racela. Ayo said FEU was out to hurt, not play, and accused the Tams of disrespecting the game by resorting to dirty tactics. “They had something else in mind,” said Ayo. “On our part, we stood our ground and played our game.”

During the media launch of the UAAP season last week, Racela and La Salle’s Ben Mbala were overheard exchanging sarcastic remarks, an offshoot of their verbal tussle during the infamous practice game.

So when FEU takes on La Salle to open their UAAP season at the MOA Arena today, expect another heated encounter. The Tams won the last UAAP title and followed it up by defeating the University of San Carlos, 82-77, for the PCCL crown last December. Racela clinched the UAAP championship with Mac Belo, Russell Escoto, Mike Tolomia and Roger Pogoy but the four stars were no longer on the squad that took the PCCL diadem, indicating the Tams are now primed for the future.

Last May, Racela brought along 6-4 Raymar Jose and 6-9 Davao-born, Fil-Norwegian Ken Holmqvist with the Gilas Cadets team that won the SEABA Stankovic Cup in Bangkok. The exposure will surely go a long way in boosting the confidence of Jose and Holmqvist who are expected to lead FEU’s bid to repeat this season.

Holmqvist was the Finals MVP in the PCCL last year, firing 17 points, including 8- of- 8 from the field, and grabbing eight boards in the title contest where teammate Jojo Trinidad hit 19. Racela will also lean on Prinze Orizu, Richard Escoto, former Southwestern University guard Monbert Arong, veteran Achie Inigo, Wendell Comboy and Ron Dennison to get things done.

Orizu, 22, is a 6-10 Nigerian who anchors FEU’s interior. He was a football goalkeeper before starting to take basketball seriously at 16. Now, Orizu, on his second year with the team, has blossomed into a premier big man in the UAAP. Racela’s frontline of Orizu, Escoto, Jose and Holmqvist is formidable and allows the Tams to play different Twin Tower combinations. His guards play in the tradition of former FEU stars R. R. Garcia, Terrence Romeo and Mike Tolomia.

At the Filoil Flying V preseason tournament last June, La Salle beat FEU, 91-71, in the quarterfinals with Mbala compiling 32 points and 11 boards and Jeron Teng scoring 28. Jose had 13, Arong 12, Escoto 10 and Holmqvist 10. The Archers went on to capture the crown.