Magnolia big man Ian Sangalang denied allegations that he intentionally poked the eye of Rain or Shine import Aaron Fuller in Game 2 of their Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Governors’ Cup best-of-five quarterfinals showdown.
Sangalang maintained that he would never cause harm to another player as he defended himself from accusations of taking a cheap shot on the reinforcement of the Elasto Painters, who sustained a torn left cornea.
“I’m not that kind of person. I would never do that. It was an accident,” the center said as he aired his side on the issue after the Hotshots’ 128-100 win in Game 4 Tuesday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium to tie the series.
But some, including Rain or Shine head coach Yeng Guiao, felt Sangalang with ill intent poked Fuller’s left eye after he got blocked early in the second game of the series last 27 September in Sta. Rosa, Laguna.
Fuller was forced to sit out the rest of the match because of a swollen eye and blurry vision as the Elasto Painters got ravaged in a 69-121 rout.
Fuller suited up in Rain or Shine’s Game 3 victory last Wednesday.
The league slapped Sangalang with a P20,000 fine for the contact, intentional or not, last Sunday.
“I cannot hurt a fellow player. I know he’s working for his family. We all work for our families. It’s not in my vocabulary to hurt another player,” Sangalang said.
The second overall pick in the 2013 Draft explained that intentionally hitting someone in the eye in that kind of offense-defense motion would be extremely difficult.