By Jonas Terrado
Jeron Teng was greeted by a former collegiate buddy the moment he went to the side of the free-throw line with 3:21 left in the first quarter of his return from stab wounds that almost cost him his budding PBA career.
“Wala, niloloko lang ako,” the Alaska rookie said of his short conversation with Phoenix’s Jason Perkins, his teammate during his UAAP days with La Salle.
Teng was feeling a sense of comfort after finishing with seven points and two rebounds in the Aces’ 114-91 rout of the Phoenix Fuel Masters Friday night at the Cuneta Astrodome, a month after he and two friends dealt with the agony of being involved in a brawl outside of a bar in Taguig City.
Teng, Rain or Shine’s Norbert Torres and Thomas Torres were wounded after figuring in a fight with two men, forcing the three ex-La Salle cagers to absorb cuts on their bodies courtesy of a ring knife owned by one of the suspects.
Though he was likely to miss significant playing time because of three stabs in the back, Teng defied the odds and was able to return to action sooner than expected.
“Super happy ako and blessed na I was able to get back this conference,” Teng said after emerging from the Aces locker room.
“Just happy to be able to play again.”
“I’m blessed na we have a great medical team in Alaska. Tinutukan talaga nila ang therapy ko everyday kaya nakabalik ako ng mas maaga,” he added.
Alaska coach Alex Compton, who feared that Teng will miss at least the rest of the conference, paid tribute to his player’s determined effort to get back quickly.
“For him to be in a uniform, it’s really a testament to his doctors, our medical staff and Jeron,” Compton said. “Sa totoo lang, kung nangyari sa mga may edad yun nangyari kay Jeron, baka ilang buwan wala siya. Pero dahil bata siya, medyo mabilis ang recovery niya. Tuwa ako diyan.
“I really thought when it happened, I thought ‘Gosh, he’s out of the conference. And as he was doing his rehab, I remember him take his first shot in practice and I said ‘Whoa, are you allowed to that’, and he said ‘Yeah, I’m allowed to shoot that’ so he recovered quickly.”
