Ginebra plays 'wait-and-see' on Caguioa's MCL injury

MANILA, Philippines – Ginebra San Miguel superstar Mark Caguioa tempered fans’ expectations on his possible return in Game Three of their semifinal series against Talk n Text Tropang Texters.

As the anticipation of the Ginebra die-hard fans growing stronger since the news that came out (not in this site) on Monday that he is on target for a possible return in Game Three, Caguioa downplayed that on Wednesday so as not to give false hopes to the fans.

“Huwag muna kayo umasa ng malaki. Nagre-rehab pa ako. Mahirap na injury ito. It’s MCL (medial collateral ligament) injury, konting galaw mo lang na mali, babalik ulit ang sakit. I don’t want any setback,” Caguioa told Philstar.com without giving definite date of his comeback. 

Ginebra coach Alfrancis Chua said that Caguioa is far from 100 percent. Caguioa’s possible return will hinge on what happens between now and May 8.

“It’s not yet confirmed [that he’ll be back in Game Three]. Kita mo naman nagre-rehab pa rin siya. He’s not even participating in our drills yet. Pa-jump shot, jump shot pa lang siya at patakbo-takbo na mag-isa,” said Chua after the team’s first practice since the Game Two loss. “Tingnan natin ang progress niya in the next coming days.”

Caguioa, who has been the team’s number one cheerleader ever since he sustained the injury one month ago, allayed the fears that he will disrupt the team’s chemistry once he returns.

“Kung babalik at lalaro ako, I’m not looking to shoot the ball all the time. I’m just gonna spread the floor. I’m not looking to score 15 to 20 points a game. The team that we have right now, we got better ball movement. We’re playing a lot better defense. Basically, everyone is stepping up,” said the conference’s scoring leader, who was averaging 22 points per game before the injury.

Though Caguioa is frustrated with his latest injury, he is now looking at the brighter side.

“This is one of the most frustrating injuries I’ve ever had.  But now, I think about it on a positive light. Kung hindi nangyari ‘to, we could not have picked up Josh (Urbiztondo) and Jayjay would not be stepping up. This is what semis is all about, it’s about stepping up,” Caguioa said in retrospect.

The reigning MVP has learned to look at the bigger picture while on the bench. As frustrating as it gets, he is happy, on the other hand, that his injury turned out as a blessing in disguise for the team.

“I don’t want to be selfish. Kahit na gustung-gusto ko na maglaro. Siyempre, sino bang may ayaw lumaro ‘di ba? Pero gusto ko pag bumalik na ako, wala ng setback. Maganda na ang flow ng game namin ngayon kaya I don’t want to mess that up,” Caguioa said.         

On Saturday, Caguioa will fly to Digos City in Davao del Sur to show up for the PBA All Star Weekend festivities but “The Spark” said he will not play but just want to repay the fans’ faith in him.

For the legions of Ginebra die-hards anticipating his return to action, Caguioa has only these words to say: “Just wait and be patient. When I get back, see you on the court.”

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