PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals MVP Sonny Thoss is set to leave for Beijing to undergo therapy for a back injury, but remains it would not ruin his chances of making the Gilas Pilipinas roster for the Fiba-Asia Men’s Basketball Championship.
The 6-foot-7 Thoss is part of the 15-man national training pool named by Chot Reyes which is set to leave for a two-week training camp in Lithunia scheduled in the first week of June.
But with him set to seek treatment in China around the samt time following a gruelling title campaign by the Aces in the mid-season conference, Thoss knows the risk of missing out on a spot in the gilas lineup.
“I hope so (on still being part of Gilas),” Thoss told Spin.ph on Monday. “But first, I need to get healthy because if I get hurt (in Lithuania), I’ll only be a liability to the team.”
Thoss missed several games during the Commissioner’s Cup due to a bad back.
But once the playoffs began, the 31-year-old veteran center became Alaska’s reliable defender at the post, helping the top-seeded Aces to victories over Air21 in the quarterfinals, before dethroning San Mig Coffee following a 3-1 series win in the semifinals.
The soft-spoken big man raised his game further in the Finals, averaging 14 points and close to 10 rebounds, while playing a huge defensive role in neutralizing Barangay Ginebra power-playing import Vernon Macklin.
At the moment, Thoss doesn't know the time table for his China trip.
“I’m just waiting for the details on when we’re leaving,” Thoss said, who will fly to the Chinese capital together with teammate Gabby Espinas, who’ll also undergo treatment on his back.
Thoss said he’s leaving his fate to national team to Reyes, though he remains hopeful he could contribute to the cause of Gilas Pilipinas when it vies for one of the top three places in the Fiba-Asia Men’s Championship for a berth in next year’s world championships in Spain.
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