ANTIPOLO — Titan Ultra head coach Johnedel Cardel doesn’t mind lending Von Pessumal to Gilas Pilipinas, even if it could affect the team’s quarterfinal push in the ongoing PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup eliminations.
While he acknowledges the challenges of missing one of their snipers, the veteran mentor believes the remaining Giant Risers would be able to step up in the guard’s absence as the preliminaries enter the home stretch.
“‘Yung pagkawala naman ni Von, some players can step up,” he told Tiebreaker Times Saturday.
“Alam ko meron naman diyan. Tsaka sabi ko sa kanila, lahat kayo, kailangan ko. ‘Pag may nawalang isa, kailangan may mag-step up.”
Cardel said as much shortly after Titan Ultra’s 111-108, come-from-behind victory over Terrafirma at the Ynares Center here, which not only snapped their two-game skid but also kept the club’s playoff hopes alive after improving to 3-6.
The said match was also a sendoff of sorts for Pessumal, who will leave for Thailand soon after being named into the Philippine men’s team tasked to defend the country’s gold medal in the 33rd Southeast Asian Games.
He’s among the PBA players that have been confirmed part of the pool, together with NLEX main man Robert Bolick and the Blackwater duo of Abu Tratter and Dalph Panopio — all of whom have worn the national colors before.
But of the said quartet, Pessumal is the only one who has succeeded in the SEAG stage. He was a member of the Gilas squad that swept its way to the crown in the 2017 competitions held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Eight years later and the Ateneo de Manila product finds himself back in the national team as part of a unit being mentored by Norman Black.
His upcoming tour of duty, however, means having to sacrifice some time with Titan Ultra. He’s set to miss their December 14 game against Phoenix, another must-win encounter for a team that’s hoping to reach the Final Eight.
As tough as it could be, the Giant Risers are proud to see him in a Gilas uniform again, with Cardel saying that his marksmanship would be of help for a group aiming to give the country its 20th men’s basketball title in the biennial meet.
“In the service of the Philippines, of Gilas, siyempre we’re proud of him. At least nakabalik siya sa Gilas,” said the former cager turned bench tactician, who was with the RP Team that competed in the 1989 SEA Games in Kuala Lumpur.
“He deserves to be in Gilas. And Norman Black, he knows how Von plays. Talagang streak shooter ‘yan. Kailangan siya roon.”
#WATCH: KAILANGAN MANALO
Johnedel Cardel is proud to see Calvin Abueva and Titan Ultra go all out against Terrafirma to stay alive in the #PBA50 playoff race 🏀#ReadMore 👉 https://t.co/jYXoWHf51V
📹 @justinebacnis /Tiebreaker Times pic.twitter.com/UvK1zlg4iw
— Tiebreaker Times (@tiebreakertimes) December 6, 2025
