JAMIE Malonzo is primed to play for Barangay Ginebra’s season opener after sustaining an injury during the Fiba Basketball World Cup.
Jamie Malonzo on Ginebra buildup
Malonzo said he has recovered from a back injury he got from a bad fall during the Philippines’ match against South Sudan during the World Cup.
Malonzo got a bruised hip and tailbone during the fall, and the same injury forced him to beg off from consideration for Gilas Pilipinas in the 19th Asian Games.
But the Ginebra high-flyer said he is back in harness with an intent of maintaining or even surpassing the level of intensity that fans have been used to pre-injury.
“I spent some time back in the States rehabbing for a couple of weeks and I was able to get over it,” said Malonzo during the recent PBA Media Day.
“I’m gonna go play and I’m ready to play, ready to get back into the swing of things,” said Malonzo.
Malonzo recently got back to Ginebra practice recently, but is not worried about his fitness since his team is still scheduled to play on November 17 against Converge or exactly 12 days before the season commences.
“Definitely trying to play the same way, if not better,” said Malonzo, when asked if he will be taking a cautious approach to the season. “It was something that I, sort of, was dealing with back in the States. But I think just after a few weeks of therapy, I was able to have it under control,” Malonzo said.
“Every conference, I want to get better. I don’t really want to take any steps back and just want to keep going,” he added.
Malonzo admitted it was also a bummer that he wasn’t able to at least get a shot at a roster spot in the Asian Games due to the injury. The end of the competition saw Gilas Pilipinas, coached by Ginebra mentor Tim Cone, with teammates Scottie Thompson and Japeth Aguilar, winning the gold medal after 61 years.
“I was super proud of them but I was like, ‘Man, I really wanted to be there.’ I’m glad that they were able to pull it off though. I was glad to see we got the gold as a country,” said Malonzo.
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