JRU 'Quarantines' Players

MANILA, Philippines — Members of the Jose Rizal University basketball team have been disconnected from the outside world in a bid to head off game-fixing in the ongoing playoffs in the 86th National Collegiate Athletic Association.

Since Sunday, the Heavy Bombers are housed in condominium units near the school and are barred from contacting anyone, including relatives.

Sources said cell phones and laptops were confiscated and Internet access denied.

Friends and relatives waited for nearly an hour outside The Arena in San Juan Wednesday night, but failed to get near or talk with any member of the team.

After their 60-54 win over the Mapua Cardinals, the Bombers were ushered quickly to the school bus.

The players themselves were surprised by the move, according to one of the girlfriends who asked not to be named.

“It’s very frustrating,” she said. “I thought he (boyfriend) was just joking about this whole situation, but when a team aide approached us and showed a bag full of their cell phones, I knew this situation will take long.”

The “quarantine” was prompted by suspicions that one of the players was involved in game-fixing during the eliminations.

The source did not identify the player who escaped team sanctions.

Reached for comment, Jose Rizal official Paul Supan downplayed the report.

“It’s a normal process especially when you are in the playoffs,” Supan said. “Medyo naghigpit kami sa pagamit ng cell phone pero hindi naman naging bawal ang pag-contact sa mga kapamilya.”

Game-fixing has been a perennial problem for the NCAA which in the past has sought the help of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).

There were arrests made in 2007, but the case did not prosper and was eventually dismissed.

The playoffs resume this Friday with the Bombers taking on defending champion San Sebastian College at The Arena in San Juan for the right to face idle San Beda College in the finals.

The Stags are favored to win over the Bombers, whom they’ve beaten in the eliminations twice this season.

But the Bombers looked impressive in their playoff win over the Cardinals at the start of the stepladder semifinals.

San Beda gained an outright Finals berth after eking out an unprecedented 16-game sweep of the eliminations. The Lions also hold a thrice-to-beat advantage, equivalent to an outright 1-0 lead in the best-of-five finals.

Francis Santiago, Manila Bulletin