Ginebra is closely monitoring Japeth Aguilar and Stephen Holt after suffering injuries during their eventual loss to Hong Kong Eastern last Sunday.
Aguilar pulled a groin while Holt is experiencing knee issues and those were exactly the reasons why the two starters weren’t able to compete against Terrafirma on Wednesday night at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
“At this point, both of them are day-to-day. Maybe even week-to-week. We’re not sure,” said head coach Tim Cone after their 114-98 victory against the Dyip to get back to their winning ways in the PBA Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup.
“It’s been too quick since they’ve been injured, and we haven’t been able to assess as deeply as we want to assess,” the champion bench tactician furthered. “But neither of them were ready to play tonight.”
It could be recalled that Holt fell after a scary slip early in the fourth quarter of their match against the guest at the Ynares Center in Antipolo, although he managed to walk it off and even returned late in the game.
He even allayed fears of a major injury when he spoke to reporters moments after the game but apparently, it’s worse than he thought.
Aguilar, on the other hand, was then seen leaving the venue limping after getting hurt during the closing seconds of their 93-91 defeat.
This makes the two the latest additions to Ginebra’s injury-reserve list, which still has Jamie Malonzo, Jeremiah Gray, and Isaac Go.
Worse, the Barangay has become short-handed while in the midst of a busy stretch. After Terrafirma, they’re set to face Converge this Saturday in Batangas before battling rivals Magnolia in a Christmas Clasico showdown.
“I think, honestly, the schedule has been part of the reason why our guys got injured, Japeth and Stephen,” Cone opined.
“Because we’re overplaying them, and they’re playing too much, too quick. So hopefully, we can stay a little bit healthy over the next couple of games, and sometime we’ll get those guys back,” the 66-year-old added.
