ALTHOUGH injured, Val Acuna remains very much a part of the Purefoods TJ Titans 3x3 team.
So when the team finally won a breakthrough title in the PBA half-court tournament, the Titans didn’t forget to offer the victory to their veteran teammate.
Coach Tonyboy Espinosa disclosed the team kept the 35-year-old wingman in its mind shortly after the Titans defeated the Meralco Bolts in the final of Leg 4 on Sunday night at the Ynares Sports Arena.
The 6-foot-3 Acuna suffered a broken jaw in Leg 2 following an accidental clash of heads with Platinum Karaoke’s Chris De Chavez during pool play.
“Yes, napag-usapan naming na ipanalo natin not only for you guys na nandito, but also for Val, who underwent operation,” said Espinosa following the win.
Acuna had surgery last Dec. 3, according to Espinosa, and could be out for three weeks.
“Pero siyempre after niyan, hindi ka pa naman yan fit to play, so dahan-dahan ang balik niya."
Incidentally, Jun Bonsubre, who took over the place of Acuna, hit the game-winner for the Titans, who took home the top purse of P100,000.
“Yes, he’s in our reserve. So nung na-injured si Val, inactivate na namin siya (Bonsubre) kaagad sa next leg,” said Espinosa.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
