The NCAA has turned down the appeal made by Colegio de San Juan de Letran regarding the case of Jimboy Estrada, who was ejected late in their game against Perpetual last Sunday.
NCAA management committee chairman Hercules Callanta confirmed the development on Tuesday as the star transferee now faces a one-game suspension and is set to miss an all-important game on Friday against Mapua University.
"It was denied. Estrada remains suspended," Callanta said in a short message to GMA News Online.
The shifty 22-year-old guard was ejected late in the fourth quarter after getting whistled for a technical foul following an unsportsmanlike behavior towards one of the game officials.
Prior to that, he had already gotten an unsportsmanlike foul early in the third period after an incident with Perpetual rookie Mark Gojo Cruz. With his ejection, Estrada shall serve a one-game suspension.
The suspension will be felt by the Knights, who are currently on a two-game losing streak after losing both games to Lyceum of the Philippines University and Perpetual to open their second round run.
Estrada, who is Letran's top scorer with 15.36 points alongside 7.45 rebounds, 5.36 assists, and 1.0 blocks, will leave a huge void as Letran will now bank on the services of Pao Javillonar, Kevin Santos, Deo Cuajao, and Nat Montecillo.
With his suspension as well, Estrada, a clear candidate for Rookie of the Year and MVP awards, is now ineligible to receive any individual award.
—JMB, GMA Integrated News
