BIG man Japeth Aguilar is still uncertain whether he’ll be suiting up for Gilas Pilipinas in the 31st Southeast Asian Games in Hanoi, Vietnam two weeks from now.
The Barangay Ginebra star admitted the injury he suffered during the PBA Governors’ Cup playoffs that forced him to miss games and play in limited minutes during the finals against Meralco is a factor in his commitment to the national team.
Aguilar, 35, went down with a Grade 2 calf injury at the onset of the playoffs, forcing him to miss the entire semifinal series against NLEX and the first three games of the championship series opposite the Bolts.

Although used sparingly, Aguilar managed to help Ginebra retain the Governors’ Cup crown after closing out Meralco in six games.
After the finals, the 6-foot-9 Aguilar said he already had initial discussions about his condition with the Gilas coaching staff under Chot Reyes.
Talk with Chot
“To be honest, napag-usapan na namin. Medyo mahirap nga yung sitwasyon kasi hindi 100 percent ang condition ko,” he said.
But he would rather not talk about what was discussed during the talk.
Aside from his injury, Aguilar also didn’t mince words about spending longer time with his family, especially with his first baby.
“My leg still has some swelling, plus the fact that I have a new family,” he said. “So ang daming factors (to consider).”
Aguilar was part of the Gilas team that bagged the men’s gold in the SEA Games three years ago in Manila under Barangay Ginebra coach Tim Cone.
Reyes early this year named Aguilar to his pool for the May 12-23 biennial showcase.
Due to the Ginebra-Meralco finals, Aguilar skipped the Gilas practices that already began before the Holy Week break.
“I’m aware na nagsimula na yung practices nila, and I think medyo ang dami na nilang practices together,” he said.
But personally, Aguilar said he definitely wants to help Gilas retain the SEA Games gold, though the health factor would definitely be in consideration to his decision to join the team or not.
“We’ll see,” he added.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph