The team spat between Precious Momowei and John Abate didn't give Red Warriors the best image on TV, but coach Jack Santiago says it’s a necessary evil as UE still ended up with the win.
When playing sport at high levels, there are always instances where emotions get the better of players at the heat of the moment.
For UE’s Precious Momowei and John Abate, that moment came in the second quarter of their 74-58 victory over the NU Bulldogs at the Mall of Asia Arena on Saturday, October 26.
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At the 3:22 mark of the second quarter, Momowei appeared to scold his own teammate following a turnover, a mistake that turned into a foul against the Red Warriors on the other end.
The scolding turned into shoves before the two players were separated. The big man was motioning to his head as if to tell Abate to focus on the game.
While it may have been an ugly confrontation from the outside looking in, UE head coach Jack Santiago saw it as a necessary evil for the team to be better down the line.
Instead of scolding Momowei, he saw it as a positive development to see a leader like him step up in keeping players focused and zeroed in on their goal each game.
“Honestly, actually, I’m so grateful kay Precious eh kasi not only in actual games, but even in practice, talagang siya yung nagc-call ng attention dun sa mga players, sa mga teammates niya na he thinks hindi nagpe-perform o medyo alam mo naman ngayon, may mga players tayo na medyo tamad din. So, ako, very happy ako that Precious is doing his job talking to those players,” said Santiago.
“Yung nangyari kanina, siguro maybe it’s a wake up call to us na talagang kailangan mag-trabaho. Even yung mga NBA teams nagkakaron din ng ganyan, but, at the end, nagbe-benefit pa rin yung team. So, medyo pangit tignan, we are on national television, but down the stretch it helps the team. You saw the changes naman happened nung second half. Talagang everyone wants to play.”
As for the two players involved, both brushed it off as part of the game.
Momowei in particular, who initiated the whole exchange, said that it was “nothing serious."
“Honestly, it’s nothing serious. I was just trying to bring him up. I was trying to make him focus on the game. It’s all love and nothing serious,” Precious said.
Meanwhile, Abate understood why the exchange had to happen. After the emotional high subsided, he was able to get back into the ball game — including nailing a triple where Momowei assisted on the play.
At the end of the day, it’s all fair in love and basketball
“I’m just gonna speak on my part, that’s my brother. We’re gonna fight. It’s what siblings do. We’re two competitive people, we ultimately wanna win,” said Abate.
“At first we had a little stumble, I turned over the ball and the next possession, I got subbed out. The third quarter, we came back and he passed out to me and I hit a three, he made a big play, I made a big play, and we made up for it,” he added.
Though Abate didn’t expound on what they talked about during the exchange, he said that it was ultimately about pushing each other forward for the team.
With one goal in mind, there’s nothing wrong with a little tough love.
“I love it because if you have someone that’s holding you accountable, it’s iron sharpens iron. I’ll make you better, I’m gonna make him better,” he said.
With their win over NU behind them, Momowei, Abate, and the rest of the Red Warriors hope to continue on their upward climb when they face the Adamson Soaring Falcons on Wednesday, October 30, at the Mall of Asia Arena.