Eagles blue with Fonacier out for good

Little did he know that it was to be his last game in the UAAP.

After being diagnosed with an ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) injury on his left knee Sunday evening, Larry Fonacier bid his UAAP career goodbye and at the same time left a dark blue cloud hanging over Ateneo’s title campaign in the 67th season of the country’s premier collegiate league.

Fonacier was driving strong to the basket late in the second quarter of a big win over University of the Philippines when he suddenly fell to the ground. It took a while before he could get up with a lot of help from his teammates, and was whisked to the hospital on an Ateneo mini-van at halftime.

A vital component of Ateneo’s run-and-gun game, Fonacier insisted on finishing the game on television before he underwent an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) test at St. Lukes Medical Center. The results, as confirmed on-line by Dr. Raul Canlas who was then overseas, turned out to be Fonacier’s pink slip in the UAAP.

Worse, as suspected by Ateneo physical therapist Marvin Ventura shortly after the fall, Fonacier also suffered Grade 1 MCL (medial collateral ligament) on the side of his knee. An MCL is a small tear of the ligament while an ACL is a complete tear. Both injuries are so common in today’s demanding world of sports.

An MCL would have taken only a couple of weeks to heal and, with some therapy, Fonacier would have been up and about for the closing stages of the eliminations. But an ACL, the similar injury that struck teammate Magnum Membrere two years ago, would require six to eight months of rehabilitation.

"He’ll be out for the rest of the season and will be operated on by Dr. Canlas on Wednesday," said Ateneo team manager Chito Mossessgeld when he called The STAR yesterday morning to confirm the sad development that came after Ateneo remained unbeaten in four games this season.

Mossessgeld explained that Dr. Canlas, who returned to the country yesterday, is just waiting for the swelling to subside before he operates on Fonacier who’s on his fifth and last playing year in the UAAP. Fonacier went home Sunday evening wearing an immobilizer.

"Our physical therapist felt it was something bad when there was spasm around the knee and Larry couldn’t stretch his leg. And they can feel something loose around the knee. The results of the MRI only confirmed those suspicions," added Mossessgeld.

Ateneo coach Sandy Arespacochaga and team consultant Norman Black has called for a meeting with all the players yesterday afternoon to tackle major adjustments in the rotation, both offensively and defensively. In four games this year, Fonacier averaged 12.0 points and 5.2 rebounds per game.

He was at his best in the team’s opening game against arch rival La Salle last July 11. In 33 minutes of action, Fonacier scored a game-high 21 points and had eight rebounds, two assists and a steal. He went 12-for-12 from the charity lane, with his last two, coming in the final 6.2 seconds, sealing Ateneo’s 75-72 win.

Fonacier, according to Mossessgeld, had badly wanted to win this year’s championship—but not for himself.

"He feels very disappointed since he is the team’s co-captain along with Paolo Bugia and that he wanted to win this championship for coach Sandy and the school. He hardly thinks of winning it for himself," said the gray-haired, amiable Ateneo official.

"But Larry was okay and was even smiling when he left the hospital. He’s that kind of a fellow," said Mossessgeld. He added that Ateneo has been in a similar situation in 2002 when LA Tenorio injured his hand halfway through the elims and the Blue Eagles sporting a shaky 4-5 record.

But the Blue Eagles, then under coach Joel Banal, managed to step up, winning their last five games in the elims, then beating University of the East twice in the Final Four, and later on stopping La Salle in a classic three-game championship showdown for their first crown since 1988.

"We’ve been here before. The challenge now is how we can stay together and how the others will step up. But Larry is still confident that the team can make it. He’s very optimistic. And it’s a testament to him despite all the physical and emotional pain he’s going through right now," Mossessgeld said.

In a short post-game chat last week, Fonacier told The STAR how much he wanted to win this year’s crown, specially since it’s also his last year for Ateneo and the UAAP. He spoke of how hard the team has been working this year. Told that he has a chance of winning the MVP award, too, Fonacier backed off.

"No, thank you. I don’t care. I don’t really like those individual awards," said Fonacier, a Blue Eagle.