After win against DLSU, Ateneo pulls out of FilOil tourney

The Ateneo Blue Eagles are pulling out of the FilOil Flying V Hanes Premier Cup after finishing the eliminations round with a 7-1 record, good for first place in their group.

"The school will come out with an official statement but I’m sure a lot of people have been hearing about the team pulling out of the summer leagues," said Ateneo team manager Paolo Trillo. "To be honest, we’ve talked about it because of our injuries. As coach mentioned, we have five guys with major injuries and some of our guys that played today have minor injuries."

The Katipunan-based squad only fielded 10 players in the highly-anticipated Ateneo-La Salle preseason game, as five players sat out due to injuries. Gideon Babilonia (shoulder), Gwynne Capacio (hamstring), JP Erram (MCL), Von Pessumal (finger), and Kris Porter (knee) were in street clothes.

“I think we can’t go on playing like this. Meaning, I can’t just play with 10 players all the time. Probably we can sustain that for a game, but we can’t sustain that for even half a season," said Ateneo head coach Bo Perasol.

"We respectfully appeal to the league that we pull out at this point. Actually, we thought about pulling out before the Ateneo-La Salle but because there were already many commitments made and it was scheduled already [we didn't]. If at this point, if we pull out, the scheduling won’t be affected," Trillo added.

Tournament chairman Boysie Henares responded that the tournament organizers understood Ateneo's situation, saying, "They had valid reasons and we understand.

"We were trying to request for reconsideration prior to the official statement, but unfortunately, they made up their mind already. We discussed with management of FilOil Flying V and the tournament companies, [and] they understand."

Asked whether this would cause other teams to pull out for the same reasons, chairman Henares said, “Actually, that’s what we were hoping against. We talked to Ricky Palou and we requested him to relay our concerns because this might be setting a precedent.”

Ateneo’s departure from the tournament meant that the next four teams in Group B all move a step higher. UE takes the top seed in Group B, DLSU comes in at second, while UST climbs to the third. The Colegio de San Juan de Letran Knights sneak into the quarterfinals after placing fifth in Group B play.

The Arellano University Chiefs face the University of Sto. Tomas Growling Tigers on Monday, June 3, at 2pm, while the UE Red Warriors square off against the Adamson Falcons on the same day at 4pm.

The De La Salle University Green Archers engage the San Beda College Red Lions on Wednesday, June 5, at 2pm, while the National University Bulldogs clash against the Colegio de San Juan de Letran Knights at 4pm on the same day. - RAF, GMA News