SMART CLARK GIGA CITY – Thanks to a new training regimen, Jared Dillinger has caught his second wind in the PBA.
The Barangay Ginebra guard disclosed he had to start all over again after spending the last two to three years in and out of the injury list owing to bone spurs in his knees.
From his workout, diet, to hiring a new personal trainer, Dillinger has to change everything in order to regain his confidence and old form and still be able to compete even at the age of 36.
And that has been in full display in the PBA Philippine Cup bubble season where Dillinger assumed a key role in the Kings’ bid to end their 13-year All-Filipino title drought.
Although not yet totally the Dillinger of old, the Fil-Am guard said he’s just happy being back on the floor and playing again given his track record of being injured the past few seasons with Meralco and later on, with Ginebra.
“This is my real first conference back in two or three years so I really want to go about it smart, and at the same time, still play and be available to the team,” said Dillinger.
The native of Rapid City, South Dakota disclosed how he had to overcome both the physical and mental scars of a botched operation performed on his knee a few years ago.
Dillinger claimed the surgeon completely ‘messed up’ the bone spurs he had on his knee.
“That’s what made it so much worse,” he recalled. “But I would try to play on it, so my body’s compensating. I start getting hip problems, my other knee would hurt something was always aching because of that.”
The situation saw Dillinger often relegated by the Bolts to the injury list in his last two seasons with the franchise.
“I understand where they (Bolts) are coming from. Everyone was frustrated, we just can’t figure out how to fix it,” he added.
“It was a terrible time for me mentally. I just couldn’t figure out how to get better.”
Even after his transfer to Ginebra, Dillinger admitted he was not really completely healthy though he managed to play and win a championship with the Kings during the last Governors Cup.
It was during the long hiatus following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic that Dillinger was able to refocus and exert an extra effort to make himself healthy again.
“I tried to think outside the box. Everything, I started over,” he said. “I went with the different approach, with a different trainer, just reworked everything and finally found out what was really messing me up.
“Now it seems like I'm moving well again, playing well. Finally I figured it out, it just took me three years.”
He did, as Dillinger has been a big contributor for the Kings, who can wrap up their best-of-seven series against hobbling TnT Tropang Giga in Game 5 on Wednesday at the Angeles University Foundation gym.
A Philippine Cup title in what he earlier referred to as his ‘real first conference back,’ would be a perfect Christmas gift for Dillinger.
“That would be a nice Christmas gift if we get that one,” he said.
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