Injury-riddled Smart Gilas takes another huge hit

Source: Businessmirror
Another key player will miss Smart Gilas’s participation in the International Basketball Federation (Fiba)-Asia Champions Cup in Doha, Qatar, next month.

Former La Salle star point guard JV Casio will be out for four weeks because of a swollen right leg. He watched the team practice from the sidelines at the Meralco Gym in Pasig with a brace on his right leg.

The team’s doctor advised the six-foot guard to rest for at least four weeks, as the injury could lead to a serious one—a medial collateral ligament (MCL) injury or an arterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury. If it’s MCL, this means that Casio will have to take a break for four to six weeks but if it’s ACL, then the versatile guard could end up resting for at least three months.

Casio’s injury dents Smart Gilas’s chances in the Fiba-Asia Champions Cup in Doha from May 12 to 20.

Injuries also sidelined Rabeh Al-Hussaini and Rey Guevarra in the team’s stint in the Dubai Invitational basketball tournament, and recently, the six-game series in Belgrade.

Both players are now recuperating from their respective injuries but still under evaluation if they could join the team in Doha.

Al-Hussaini, a two-time Most Valuable Player in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines who led Ateneo to back-to-back titles, has joined the team in practice after undergoing an operation to remove bone spurs in his left foot.

Guevarra is close to full recovery from MCL and ACL injuries he suffered while playing for Letran in the National Collegiate Athletic Association last season.

The team is set to leave for Las Vegas on April 23 for a nine-day training camp before going to Vancouver, Canada, for exhibition games against Canada West All-Star and University of British Columbia Thunderbirds early next month.