By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The Colegio de San Juan de Letran Knights are doing all that they could in hopes of having superstar Fran Yu back for Game 3 of the NCAA Season 95 men’s basketball championship.
It was confirmed that Letran sent an appeal to the NCAA organizing body and is hoping to have their squad at full strength to solidify its bid for a three-peat.
Yu was slapped with a disqualifying foul during Game 2 of their grand finals clash against the College of Saint Benilde (CSB) Blazers.
To make things worse, the former NCAA Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP) will be serving a one-game suspension and will not be available in the do-or-die Game 3 of the Finals.
It was Letran’s assistant coach Jared Jarencio who announced the development during another edition of the Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum.
Yu was caught throwing an elbow to Mark Sangco’s face in a battle of the loose ball during the 5:30 mark of the second quarter.
The sequence started after Benilde’s Robi Nayve missed his jump shot attempt from the free throw line. Letran’s Louie Sangalang then came up to grab the rebound but Sangco also contested for ball possession.
After Sangco was called for an over-the-back foul, Yu walked through him and hit his face with a right elbow.
Sangco immediately fell to the ground in pain and almost took him 20 seconds to get up, shake his head, and jump to put himself back in his senses.
It was Letran that was still leading, 33-25, but after Yu disappeared in the second half, the Blazers came roaring back and edged the Knights, 76-71, which set up a deciding Game 3.
If Letran’s appeal will not be granted by the NCAA, the veteran marksman’s collegiate career is pretty much done.
