Coach Frankie Stays Calm Despite Possible Suspension

San Beda may be forced to play in the upcoming 88th NCAA men's basketball season without current head coach Frankie Lim when the Red Lions gun for a three-peat in the country's oldest collegiate league.

The fate of the Red Lions' head coach, as well as some of their players, lies in the hands of the NCAA Policy Board, after the NCAA Management Committee (ManCom) forwarded a series of recommendations for sanctions stemming from an early December brawl involving Lim and several of his players, and San Sebastian volleyball coach Roger Gorayeb.

According to a source with information about the proceedings, Lim could face a one-year suspension, preventing him from patrolling the sidelines this season.

The ManCom also recommended suspensions for several Red Lions, with Nigerian Ola Adeogun topping the list with a five-game penalty. Filipino-American Julius Armon is supposedly in line for a four game suspension, while Lim's son Carmelo will be hit for two games.

Several other players present during the fight may also get one game suspensions.

Rookies Adeogun and Armon are currently serving out their residency and are set to make their NCAA debut later this year.

Last December 3, members of the Red Lions team alleged that members of the San Sebastian men's volleyball team were making racist chants directed towards Adeogun while at the San Beda gym.

The Stags spikers maintain that they were merely shouting their customary warm-up chant.

Lim and Gorayeb then got involved in a verbal tussle that exploded into a full-on brawl, with Gorayeb and one female Stags player getting physically injured.

When asked after a recent Fr. Martin Collegiate Open Cup game about the possible sanctions, Lim told GMA News Online, "They have to come out with a decision, then you can worry about it. For as long as they have not come out with a decision, it's useless to worry about it."

The NCAA Policy Board is expected to come out with a final decision on Wednesday, February 22, but it is in no way required to adhere strictly to the recommendations of the ManCom.

Should coach Lim's suspension be upheld, the Red Lions will be without a multi-titled mentor that has guided the school to four NCAA crowns in his five-year stint. In addition, the suspension of the team's best two recruits could put the team in an early hole once the tournament starts.

The source added that at one point, ManCom was considering a lifetime ban on Lim, before backing down on the severe penalty.

Fans of the Red Lions team, including students and alumni, have taken to tweeting the hashtag #sanbedaunited as a show of support.

The Red Lions are currently playing in the postseason of the Fr. Martin Collegiate Open Cup, and are two games away from winning back-to-back titles in the tourney. 

source: Adrian Dy, JVP, GMA News Online