By REYNALD MAGALLON
Gilas Pilipinas gunner RR Pogoy ruled himself out of the national team campaign in the 32nd Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia this May as he is set to undergo surgery to repair a fracture on his pinky finger.
Although there’s still no definite timetable for his recovery, the Tropang Giga guard is already expecting that it may take some time for him to fully heal, making him unavailable for Gilas in the SEA Games.
“SEA Games, wala na. Hindi ako aabot sa SEA Games. Sabi na rin ni coach Chot na hindi aabot sa SEA Games,” said Pogoy who attended Game 4 of the TNT-Ginebra Finals duel in street clothes after sustaining the injury in Game 3.
Pogoy was already out of the series and is set for a check up with a hand specialist and to prepare for the surgery. He recalled hurting his finger when he tried to gamble for a steal against Ginebra big man Christian Standhardinger.
“Nung third quarter nung last game, sinundot ko yung bola kay Christian tapos umilag siya so yung kamay ko dumiretso sa ribs niya. Napalakas yung sundot ko kaya nabali. Bali talaga,” he recalled.
With the adrenaline flowing, Pogoy still managed to play through the pain and actually finish the game. It was not until the end of Game 3, he realized the severity of the injury
“Pinilit ko talaga kahit nung third quarter. Sabi ko, pasok ko pa rin kahit masakit, pinilit ko. Every hawak ko ng bola, kung sa 1 to 10, 10 na ‘yung sakit. Bali na pala ‘yung pinkie. Tinapos ko pa rin ‘yung game pero after ng laro, doon ko na nararamdaman na konting galaw lang, sobrang sakit na,” he added.
It’s now the second straight time Pogoy missed joining Gilas Pilipinas after he also failed to suit up for the national team during the sixth and final window of the FIBA World Cup Asian qualifiers due to a foot injury.
Despite Pogoy’s absence, Gilas though still has plenty of players who could certainly fill the void with the likes of Aaron Black, Jeremiah Gray, Kevin Alas, Marcio Lassiter, Stanley Pringle, Mikey Williams, Chris Ross, CJ Perez and young guns Deschon Winston and Jerom Lastimosa all named in the national team’s 28-man pool.
