'2 Barracuda players didn't get doctor's nod'

IT WAS an outing to forget, for the Brunei Barracudas at least.

The Brunei team were hammered 87-48 by the KL Dragons in their Asean Basketball League (ABL) battle at the Maba Stadium in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday in a match that never reached the final buzzer.

Brunei's first professional team were without the services of head coach Bong Ramos and two key players Chris Commons and Chester Tolomia due to conjunctivitis.

The match proceeded as scheduled but was it a fair decision by the ABL considering how important it would be at the end of the season?

"The Barracudas flew into KL on Thursday with six or seven of their players getting red eye on the plane. So we had them sent to the clinic to get the clear from the doctor," said Kuhan Foo, the ABL CEO, in an interview with The Brunei Times, yesterday.

"The doctor checked everyone and three of them (Ramos, Tolomia and Commons) didn't get the clear. The report was handed to the referee prior to the match and he decided that the players could not participate in the contest," he added.

Foo said the ABL again sent the Barracudas to two checkups on game day (Saturday) at an eye specialist clinic in Kuala Lumpur.

"The players were infected and it was contagious. They might be healthy to play but they were not cleared by the doctor as they could pass it (the red eye) to others ...," said Foo.

The Dragons had a full field of 12 players while the Barracudas were only left with seven on the roster, comprising mostly of the locals, to start the game.

But it was normal for the match to be played despite the absence of those infected. Take the NBA for example, players on the injury list will not compete while their teams continue to play games in the season.

Barracuda fans were crying foul that the game was over by default after the Brunei team were left with insufficient number of players to continue playing with under eight minutes left in regulation.

However, it is clearly stated in the Fiba rules that games will continue unless there are less than two players on the court.The Brunei Times