CAT-QUICK guard Jason Castro, Larry Fonacier and big man Ranidel de Ocampo are expected to rejoin Talk ‘N Text in time for its match against sister team Meralco in the PBA Governors Cup on Friday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The 5-10 guard out of Philippine Christian University already joined the team’s practice on Tuesday along with Fonacier and de Ocampo - a little over two weeks after playing prominent roles in Gilas Pilipinas' runner-up finish behind Iran in the Fiba-Asia championships.
Castro, who was named to the Fiba-Asia Mythical First Team, as well as de Ocampo, Fonacier, and Jimmy Alapag were given a one-month break by team owner Manny V. Pangilinan after Gilas secured a ticket to next year's world championships in Spain.
However, the Pampanga native said two weeks were more than enough for him to recharge before getting back to the grind with the seriously undermanned Texters in the season-ending tournament.
“Two weeks na bakasyon lang ako, okay na,” Castro said.
Asked how he spent his well-deserved break, the 27-year-old said, “Di na ako nagbakasyon kasi bagyo eh,” referring to Typhoon Maring which battered Metro Manila and nearby provinces last week.
Texters coach Norman Black confirmed to Spin.ph the trio were present in practice on Tuesday at the Moro Lorenzo Gym inside the Ateneo campus and will be suiting up on Friday.
The return of Castro and de Ocampo should be a big boost for Norman Black's Texters, who were mangled by the San Mig Coffee Mixers in their last outing on Sunday, 99-118, and are currently in the middle of the pack on a 1-1 (win-loss) card.
Alapag is still in the US and is set to return on September 3, team sources said.
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