DE La Salle said the injury suffered by Yutien Andrada is a big blow to the Green Archers' UAAP campaign this season and but added the sidelined big man will be a source of inspiration in their Final Four bid.
Head coach Gee Abanilla confirmed Andrada suffered an ACL tear in his right knee again during the Archers’ 70-64 victory over Lyceum in the Filoil Flying V Hanes Premier Cup on Friday.
Andrada, whose shot blocking and rebounding presence will definitely be missed this season, had already torn the same ligament on his knee in 2011 where he missed parts of that season.
The injury normallu takes at least six months to heal, making him unavailable for the team's campaign in the 2013 season.
Abanilla expressed sadness over the development.
“Yutien is a big part of our plan for this coming UAAP season and I’m really sad that he had to suffer this unfortunate injury,” said Abanilla in an SMS message to Spin.ph. “Maybe God has a different purpose for us.”
Andrada was one of the key players in the Archers’ bid for the Final Four during the 2011 season when he posted a team-best 1.8 blocks per outing while averaging 6.2 points and 6.2 rebounds.
Abanilla, however, hopes Andrada's absence will translate into something positive for his other teammates.
“We will take care of Yutien and make him even stronger. Although he may not be there physically on the court, I’m sure he will be able to help us in some other way,” said Abanilla.
The La Salle coach said Andrada will have surgery on his right knee on Wednesday.
“We will recover from this and come out even better. Yutien will be our inspiration,” Abanilla added.
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