Despite being in a deep 0-2 hole in the PBA Philippine Cup semifinals, Rain or Shine will not be reactivating rookie big man Luis Villegas for their series against defending champion San Miguel.
“Wala, wala,” was coach Yeng Guiao’s curt reply when asked if the 6-foot-7 freshman would finally play his first game as a pro.
“Sa 2028 pa maglalaro si Luis,” the veteran coach joked.
If healthy, Villegas could have provided additional support for the Elasto Painters against seven-time MVP June Mar Fajardo, who has been a nightmare matchup for both veteran Beau Belga and rookie Keith Datu.
Averaging 23.3 points on 64 percent field goal shooting, 14.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.3 blocks per game, the 6-foot-10 June Mar Fajardo has anchored the Beermen to back-to-back victories in the best-of-seven semifinals series, including a 106-89 win in Game 2, where the San Miguel big man erupted for 18 points in the third quarter to lead the breakaway from the Elasto Painters.
“Beau and Keith did their best, but of course, the limitation is the physical advantage of June Mar,” said Guiao. “San Miguel is really going to wait for June Mar to take his spot at the low post.”
READ Guiao says No. 3 pick Luis Villegas 'a high-character guy, modern big'
Villegas was the No. 3 overall pick by Rain or Shine in last year’s draft but has yet to see action this season as he is recovering from ACL surgery suffered during the PBA 3x3 while still playing for TNT.
Initially, he was reactivated from the injury/reserved list early in the conference to slowly ease him back into playing shape and integrate him into the team system, according to Guiao.
Villegas injury woes
However, he was soon relegated to the injury list during the homestretch of the eliminations when Rain or Shine decided to reinstate Datu to the active roster after he recovered from an MCL Grade 2 injury.
Rain or Shine will try to avoid falling further into the hole as Game 3 is set to be played on Wednesday at the Dasmariñas Arena in Cavite.
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