Boomers assistant coach Luc Longley has alleged Philippines coach Chot Reyes incited his players to act violently in their World Cup qualifier, blaming him for the ugly brawl that marred the game.
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Three-time NBA champion Longley touched down in Brisbane early on Wednesday morning with Australian head coach Andrej Lemanis and immediately made his views known, describing the all-in fight as the worst thing he'd ever seen on a basketball court.
Longley, who rushed to the aid of Chris Goulding as he was set upon by a dozen Filipino players and officials in a horrific pile-on, said Reyes was "embarrassed" by how his team was playing and urged them to hit back at the Boomers.
Footage of an angry Reyes during a time-out showed him telling his players: "Hit somebody. Put somebody on their ass."
Reyes later defended his comments as routine instructions from a basketball coach, saying he wanted his players to foul Australians on fast breaks.
Longley said Reyes had also sent on a "thug" in Roger Pogoy who took numerous "cheap swings" at Goulding - one of which felled the Australian guard and prompted Daniel Kickert to retaliate with the elbow that sparked the third-quarter brawl.
"I do believe their coach, Chot Reyes incited them to come out and thug us. I think there's video evidence of that," Longley told reporters.
"This is out of the party line but I'm most disturbed with their head coach.
"I think he was embarrassed by the way his team were playing. I think he was embarrassed by the kind of shape they were in, I think he was embarrassed by how they fought."
Longley said Reyes shook his hand after the game but did not look him in the eye.
"I thought that was poor form given what had happened," he said.
"He should take some responsibility for that on the spot and I think he was embarrassed.
"I think that's where a lot of it came from, right from there.
"If you listen to his diatribe after the game I think it verifies it. I'm upset with him more than anybody.
"He let his team take selfies, gangster selfies, on the baseline after an event like that.
"That just shows a total lack of control or respect."
Australian Associated Press
