THE scrimmage was already down to its final possession on Monday.
San Miguel, recharged from the extended break and motivated to redeem itself from a failed Grand Slam bid, was upbeat as the team slowly counted down the weeks and the days before the start of the new PBA season.
Head coach Leo Austria was ready to blow his whistle for the day's practice as he motioned one last play to his wards.
Everyone was locked in, and that last possession saw five-time PBA MVP June Mar Fajardo intercept a wayward pass and quickly race down the floor with his signature smile, ready to end the session with one last open lay-up.
And then, disaster struck.
In a pop heard around the Acropolis Greens gym and sent shockwaves across the league, the gentle Cebuano giant fell to the floor in one heap even before he could take off for an unmolested layup.
Stunned Beermen players, staff, and coaches looked on as Fajardo writhed in pain, all aware of the heavy implications an injury of such magnitude means to the landscape of the PBA.
"It was heartbreaking. You could hear a pin drop in this gym when that happened," recounted SMB guard Alex Cabagnot.
Later, the doctors' findings confirmed everybody's worst fear: the SMB superstar had suffered a fractured right tibia that ruled him out for the all-Filipino conference, and perhaps for the whole 2020 PBA season.
With Fajardo out indefinitely, San Miguel's quest for a sixth straight Philippine Cup - and a second Perpetual Trophy -- also flashed before their eyes.
Yet all the Beermen cared about at that point was the welfare of the team's main man, who is one of the most down-to-earth teammates one could ever encounter.
"Right now, we're just worried about June Mar. We're just trying to get June Mar back healthy and back in his element," said Chris Ross.
Marcio Lassiter added: "For a guy like him to go through an injury like that, you could not wish that for anyone. But for a guy who's so gentle and kind and does the right stuff, just a great player and a great person, you never wish to see that on him."
"I hate to see one of my brothers go down in such a matter," shared Cabagnot. "Right now, I'm not thinking of the Philippine Cup. I just want to see how June Mar is doing and how his family is doing. I just want him to come back and be his old June Mar self. I know that's gonna take some time and we're just thinking how to support him."
This early, the Beermen are dedicating the coming campaign to their sidelined star.
"Definitely, we're doing it for June Mar," Lassiter said.
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