CARL Tamayo is in danger of missing Gilas Pilipinas' game against India on Sunday in the 2022 Fiba World Cup Asian qualifiers.
Carl Tamayo injury report
Head coach Nenad Vucinic did not sound optimistic on the chances of the University of the Philippines forward to suit up in three days' time after suffering a sprained right ankle in the fourth quarter of their 106-60 loss to New Zealand on Thursday.
"It's very hard to see in three days he'll be able to recover. And if he does recover and put a jersey on, it's not gonna be as effective as he would be without an injury," said the Serbian-Kiwi mentor.
Tamayo suffered the injury while fighting through the screen, exiting the game with 7:50 remaining in the match.
He was one of the few bright spots for Gilas as he had a team-best 16 points and five rebounds before sitting out the remainder of the game.
With Tamayo doubtful for the India game, pressure is now on for the remaining frontcourt players like Rhenz Abando, William Navarro, Geo Chiu, and Kevin Quiambao to fill up the gap left by the UAAP Rookie of the Year.
"Other players will have to step up," said Vucinic. "We know we came with three guys who can play the forward position and now we're down to two. It's difficult, but we don't want excuses. We want to try to have a good game and have a chance to win on Sunday."
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