IT wasn't just Rey Suerte's lucky day
The Gilas Pilipinas team captain went down with an ankle sprain on Wednesday, leaving the national team with yet another casualty less than a week before the Fiba Asia Cup qualifiers kick off in Clark, Pampanga.
"The swelling is significant," admitted Gilas Project Director Tab Baldwin. "He was recently designated as our team captain, so this is not good news at all. It's unfortunate because he was also doing very well in practice."
The 2019 PBA draftee suffered the injury in practice at the Inspire Sports Academy, which resident therapist Dexter Aseron estimated to be a 'Grade 2 or 3 sprain,' meaning it could take one or two weeks for Suerte to recover.
"We're hoping there will be no fractures when he gets his x-ray," said Aseron.
The misfortune is yet another setback to the campaign of Gilas Pilipinas, which earlier lost players Matt Nieto and Dave Ildefonso to injuries.
"We will miss his leadership and scoring punch in the team," said Baldwin of Suerte, taken in by Blackwater at no. 2 during the 2019 PBA special draft for the national team.
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