Akil Mitchell has been scheduled to undergo surgery to repair his broken nose.
The Meralco import is set for a December 9 operation to treat the injury he suffered mere seconds into their eventual win over Rain or Shine in a PBA Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup encounter last Sunday in Antipolo.
“Medyo sore pa. I know he’s supposed to get an operation on the 9th,” head coach Luigi Trillo said when asked about the latest on their guy. “And when the swelling subsides–he’s already had his mask fitted–he can play.
The veteran mentor said as much on Friday night, moments after the Bolts escaped Terrafirma by way of a 96-91 decision at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium — a game in which Mitchell was reduced to a spectator behind the bench.
He’s listed as day-to-day given his condition, which he sustained following an inadvertent hit by Elasto Painters sophomore Keith Datu when the latter tried to contest the 32-year-old’s lay-up attempt 12 seconds into the game.
Mitchell’s nose bled profusely, and he was soon transported to the Cardinal Santos Medical Center in San Juan City to undergo further treatment. He was accompanied by a couple of team staffers and his partner.
The veteran forward is now listed as day-to-day and while Meralco awaits his full recovery, the team has gone with DJ Kennedy, their other reinforcement in the 2024-25 East Asia Super League (EASL) home-and-away season.
A former teammate of Justin Brownlee in St. John’s University, the 6-foot-6 winger overcame early foul trouble and went on to finish with 32 points, six rebounds, four assists, and a steal to help his side beat the Dyip.
“Parang sabi ni Akil, parang blessing din na he’s out, DJ gets his feet wet. And he’s capable. We know he is. Glad we got the W,” said Trillo as the team got their third win in as many games in the conference thanks to Kennedy.
Apparently, Kennedy will take on the role until Mitchell fully recovers. And the Bolts have no plans whatsoever, too, of searching for another foreign player as they’re patiently waiting on the Chartotte-native to heal up.
“No. We believe in Akil,” Trillo said. “‘Yung taong ‘yun, kahit on one leg, he’ll play. If he could play without the mask, he’d play. I think Akil is tough enough. The imports we have, the three guys we have, are just quality characters.
“We won’t look for another import,” he added.
#WATCH: Meralco goes all-Filipino against Rain or Shine as Akil Mitchell is sent to the nearest medical facility 🏀
📹 @JustineBacnis/ Tiebreaker Times#PBA2024 pic.twitter.com/hz6bo46agZ
— Tiebreaker Times (@tiebreakertimes) December 1, 2024
