MASON Amos doesn’t view his ‘early’ return from a one-month injury layoff as a major health risk.
The 21-year-old center had suffered a medial collateral ligament (MCL) tear in his right knee during the first round against top-seed National University, which sidelined him for seven games.
He made his comeback for La Salle in their 87-82 second-round win over University of the Philippines, a week ahead of his originally planned return before the Final Four.
READ: La Salle shows guts in shutdown of playoff-bound UP
With the Green Archers’ semifinals berth still far from certain, his timetable for return was accelerated.
Amos logged 22 minutes in his comeback, contributing three points, three rebounds and three assists.
While his legs haven’t quite worked like they used to before just yet, Amos was determined to return once cleared to play, reassured that his knee remained structurally sound.
“My knees are intact and that's what's important. If my knee wasn't intact, I wouldn't risk it at all,” Amos said.
“I thought I was gonna wait until next year until I was fully a hundred percent. But right now, I'm about a solid 90 to 95 percent, and that, for me, is good enough to help the team right now.”
Backed by La Salle’s strength and conditioning team led by Migs Aytona, Gelo Vito, Teddy Fabian, and Marco Villanueva, Amos pushed through a ‘no days off’ recovery program, reaching full clearance in record time.
And all those tireless days in rehab have paid off, as Amos returns to help La Salle push for a Final Four spot.
“I’m very grateful that I'm able to put my shoes back on and get back on the floor because it's something I can't take for granted anymore,” Amos admitted.
“Experiencing that has made me work harder than ever and it's just a wake-up call for me.”
Fully aware that he won’t immediately post big numbers, the 21-year-old center is focused on contributing in other ways to still make his presence felt as if he never left.
“I’m just gonna have to play a role because I just got to find other ways to help the team win. I'm not necessarily gonna score 20 points for the team or give them what I did before, which was be that scoring presence,” he said.
“I’m having my struggles right now because it’s just my first game back, so I'm just trying to find little ways where I can help the team — there's rebounding, guarding the bigs, and just playing good defense.”
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