by Waylon Galvez
Coming off surgeries, Alex Cabagnot and Matt Ganuelas-Rosser are expected to see action when San Miguel Beer starts its bid for a fifth straight Philippine Cup in the 44th PBA Season.
Cabagnot went under the knife a month ago from a broken nose he suffered a few years back, while Ganuelas-Rosser is still recovering from a ‘clean up’ he had on his right shoulder.
SMB mentor Leo Austria said these medical procedures are not serious and he expects the two to be back on the rotation for the season opening conference of the professional league.
“They had surgeries because Alex is having a hard time already breathing, while Matt is bothered with pain on his shoulder. They are recovering well and we expect them to be in great shape for the season,” said Austria.
Cabagnot actually has joined in some drills at the resumption of team practice last week, but has yet to join in five-on-five scrimmage to avoid making contract on the surgically repaired nose.
According to Cabagnot, he suffered the injury about three years ago in a game against Barangay Ginebra San Miguel. He opted not to have surgery since SMB is aiming for a championship at that time.
He finally decided to have a surgery in mid-December since he’s already having difficulty breathing.
“The doctor had to re-fracture it (nasal bridge), have it aligned and then fix it,” Cabagnot said, adding that he needs to wear a protective mask for a year as advised by his doctor to prevent another injury.
Ganuelas-Rosser, on the other hand, had been bothered by pain on his right shoulder.
“In the case of Matt, he just had a clean up on his shoulder, they removed tissues repaired ligaments. Now he’s on his way to recovery, maybe in two or three weeks he’ll be ready to play,” said Austria.
San Miguel Beer has added former three-time scoring champion Terrence Romeo in its star-studded lineup, a move Cabagnot supports.
“The coaching staff and management definitely have to make the moves to obviously progress for the future. We welcome the change, to go with the times and we have to be adaptable,” said Cabagnot, who played with Romeo in his brief stint with NorthPort (formerly GlobalPort in 2014).
