a dream game or a nightmare?

THE ATENEO-De La Salle Dream Game last night came harrowingly close to becoming a nightmare.


With all the fervor and animosity that marked most of these schools’ previous encounters, from their NCAA days to their UAAP years, a tight, fastpaced, intense first half of an exhibition match turned into a bloody affair barely two minutes into the third quarter, disrupting play for more than 30 minutes as jeers and debris rained down on the playing court.

La Salle guard Joseph Yeo was ejected from the court 1:33 into the second half with Ateneo ahead 44-39 after hitting Ateneo center Rico Villanueva squarely on the face with his forearm before running off.

Villanueva, who had a run-in with another La Salle player, Don Allado, during a PBA game five weeks ago, suffered bloody cuts in the nose, upper and lower lips, and mouth.

He had to be restrained from going after Yeo as the Green Archer player, who mocked Villanueva by gesturing to the blood pouring down the Blue Eagle veteran’s mouth, was being escorted out of the Araneta Coliseum hard court.

Villanueva and Ateneo’s Larry Fonacier and Paolo Bugia are teammates with the PBA Red Bull Barakos under coach Yeng Guiao, a La Salle grade and elementary school alumnus and the Green Archers coach yesterday.

"The collegiate fever still burns strong with these young guys, even Enrico," said Guiao, who kept himself in front of the La Salle bench throughout the 30-minute delay.

From replays of the video footage provided by ABC-5, it appeared that Villanueva, after coming down with the rebound, came into contact with Yeo as he protected the ball with his elbows.

Yeo backed off and then came back with a hard forearm that caught Villanueva in the face.

Ricky Palou, Ateneo’s representative to the UAAP board, initially refused to let the Ateneo players resume the game, baring that Fr. Bienvenido Nebres, S.J., the university president, has given instructions on the phone to withdraw the team from the match.

PBA commissioner Noli Eala, arguing in behalf of the major organizers and the thousands of fans who came to watch the game, offered a compromise – use only two non-pros per team with the PBA players in the second half.

L.A. Tenorio and ex-pro Vince Hizon remained in Blue Eagles uniform, while Ryan Araña and Junjun Cabatu stayed with the Green Archers.

"We have control over our players," Eala told Palou, who eventually relented after conferring with Fr. Nebres, Junjun Capistrano, another school official, and Ateneo coach Chot Reyes.

Guiao, whose Red Bull team has a PBA game today, said he has no problem if the organizers decide to continue the game.

"We’re cool from where we are. Wala na si Joseph, so it’s up to them. Whatever their decision, we will follow," said Guiao.

Reyes, however, was less convinced at the wisdom of restarting the heated contest. "I think we’re courting disaster," said Reyes. "Things could turn out uglier than it had been already."

In the heat of the moment, Ateneo coach Norman Black, when asked if he thought the game should be resumed, said: "Yeah, let Joseph Yeo come back and let’s continue the game."

An extra five-minute period was given both teams to warm up before the rest of the second half was allowed to continue.