For Jeron Teng, that ugly incident he got into last June taught him a lot of lessons.
Last June 3, Teng, along with fellow La Sallians Norbert Torres and Thomas Torres, figured in a brawl with a group of men outside of a bar in Bonifacio Global City in Taguig City in the wee hours of the morning.
That fracas turned from bad to worse, as the three cagers received stabbed wounds from a ring knife of one of the men they had an altercation with. That injury forced them to sit out and recover for an amount of time.
“It’s a learning experience for me,” the second-generation cager reflected. “When you go out ‘di natin alam sinong ma-encounter natin. Mag-ingat lang kasi ‘di natin alam kung sino yung may mga dalang weapons.
“So ingat lang.”
The 25-year-old has recovered from that since then. He was projected to miss the 2018 Commissioner’s Cup, but the Alaska Aces made a shocker this Thursday when they activated him for Friday’s match with Phoenix Fuel Masters.
After over a month of recovering, Teng has finally returned to the fold.
The rookie forward made his comeback on Friday at the Cuneta Astrodome. He played for over 18 minutes, and he finished with seven points, two rebounds, and two assists in Alaska’s 114-91 drubbing of the Fuel Masters.
With that, Teng couldn’t be more elated.
“Super happy ako and blessed na I was able to get back this conference. Just happy to be able to play again,” beamed the 6-foot-2 Teng. “Sobrang thankful lang ako and blessed na we have a great medical team in Alaska.
“Tinutukan talaga nila therapy ko everyday, kaya nakabalik din ako ng mas maaga.”
He admitted though that he still has a lot of catching up to do, as a month without basketball activities have made him a but rusty. But Teng said that he’s working on it, especially now that the Aces are marching on to the quarterfinals.
The Milkmen have clinched the twice-to-beat advantage with Friday’s win, and their victory had also helped teams such as Barangay Ginebra San Miguel, GlobalPort Batang Pier, and Magnolia Hotshots complete the playoff picture.
“Siyempre one month ako nawala kaya yung timing ko medyo off pa rin. Pero I’m working on it,” said the fifth overall pick of the 2017 Draft. “Suwerte pa rin ako na may isang game pa before the playoffs.
“At least kahit pano nakalaro pa ako.”
