By REYNALD MAGALLON
Injured Ginebra forward Jamie Malonzo seemed to be nearing his return after getting activated to the Kings’ lineup ahead of their clash against the San Miguel Beermen – a development that should also bodes well to Gilas Pilipinas.
Malonzo, who went down with a calf injury and has not seen action for Ginebra or Gilas since April, looked to be on target for a January return which was first disclosed by Kings and national team head coach Tim Cone.
The high-flying 6-foot-7 forward was activated in lieu of Jeremiah Grey who was also still recovering from a knee injury.
After Ginebra’s 95-92 Christmas Day win over Magnolia Hotshots where Malonzo was seen on the bench, the 28-year-old hinted at the possibility of making his comeback sooner rather than later.
“Soon. Really soon. Nothing exact but it’ll probably be sooner or later. It’s still a work in progress. I’ve been participating (in practice) but not entirely yet,” Malonzo told the reporters.
It’s still uncertain whether he will indeed be utilized by Cone against the Beermen but his presence on the bench should be enough to excite not just the Ginebra fans but also the Gilas faithfuls.
Malonzo missed Gilas’ impressive run during the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Latvia last July as well as the team’s two-game home stand against New Zealand and Hong Kong last November.
Should Malonzo make it on time in terms of his shape and his conditioning, his presence should further give Cone flexibility on the wing spot which for the most part of the competitions have heavily relied on Justin Brownlee and Calvin Oftana.
Gilas is set for road games against Chinese Taipei and New Zealand in the final window of the qualifiers in February before resuming their bid to claim the FIBA Asia Cup title in the main tournament in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in August.
