After incurring a hamstring injury during one of TNT’s team practices, Jericho Cruz was expected to return to the KaTropa on March 9, where they will be going up against the lowly Blackwater Elite at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.
But the 6-foot-1 combo guard came back to action six days earlier.
Itching to get back on the hardwood as he had already missed five games, Cruz suited up for the KaTropa Sunday evening, where they went head-to-head with the league-leading Rain or Shine Elasto Painters — his former team.
“March 9 pa talaga. Pinilit ko lang yung PT namin na sabihan yung coach namin na palaruin ako kasi sabi sa’kin ni coach dati na he wants me to play in the playoffs na eh.
“Sabi ko coach kung maglalaro pa ako sa playoffs, mawawala yung rhythm ko, yung kumpiyansa ko, kaya pinilit ko. Talagang twice-a-day nagwo-work out ako,” shared the five-year pro.
Cruz is now fully healed, and luckily, his decision to play paid off nicely. He finished with 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the field and had been a major factor in TNT’s 100-92 win that snapped Rain or Shine’s five-game winning streak.
The Adamson product’s return and commendable delivery proved to be a welcome boost for TNT, as they missed the services of Roger Pogoy due to sickness following his trip with Gilas Pilipinas to Kazakhstan last weekend.
“Wala rin si Pogoy eh kaya medyo ginanahan din, kulang kaming isa.”
Cruz couldn’t be happier to have finally come back, but the 28-year-old admitted that he got surprised to log in 20 minutes and 24 seconds as he had been told prior to the match that he would only be utilized for 10 minutes.
“‘Di ko ine-expect na papalaruin ako ni coach [Mark Dickel] ng twenty minutes. Kasi two days before the game, sabi niya sakin I’ll play you pero mga max ten minutes, so sabi ko okay coach. Siyempre he wants to test out my hamstring.
“Buti nga maganda pinakita ko and nagtuloy-tuloy, nakapaglaro ako ng twenty minutes,” he beamed.
Now that he’s back, the five-year pro vows to become more durable to avoid any more injuries from happening.
“Yung sa’kin lang, I’ll try to stay healthy, and kung anong ibibigay sa’kin ni coach na role I’ll just do it. I just wanna be healthy lang kasi ang hirap maglaro ‘pag may nararamdaman eh.”
