After four months, Johnvic De Guzman finally made his return to the taraflex on Wednesday night.
De Guzman was inserted by AMC-Cotabato head coach Odjie Mamon in the middle of the second set of their Game One encounter against Cignal before eventually starting the third frame.
Unfortunately, the former national team skipper’s return was spoiled by the HD Spikers, who took a 25-22, 25-22, 28-26 win to move on the cusp of the 2023 Spikers’ Turf Open Conference title.
“Unang una syempre happy ako pero at the same time nakakagigil kasi parang nakakainggit yung mga players ngayon na talagang grabe tumalon, grabe pumalo,” said De Guzman, who finished the game with a point.
The former national team skipper last played in the 2022 PNVF Champions League finals where the Cotabato Spikers also lost to the HD Spikers via five sets in the finals.
De Guzman revealed that he suffered a knee injury during the Cotabato Spikers’ buildup for the Spikers’ Turf last season which caused him to miss the majority of the Open Conference. The former PLDT star did not disclose the exact injury but also assured that it is only minor.
“Yun nga, kasi last January kakabalik lang namin ng training so talagang ang tagal kong natigil dahil after nung championship na-stop ako dahil may iba nga akong work, taping and then nung bumalik ako ng January may isang training na after training, sumakit yung tuhod ko,” shared De Guzman, who played for Air Force in the 2021 PNVF Champions League for Men.
“So kumbaga kulang din sa conditioning so medyo matagal di yung process para mag-heal yung tuhod ko pero at least ngayon kahit papaano siguro nasa 80 or 90 percent na ako pero ang hirap pa rin e, may nararamdaman pa rin ako tuwing tumatalon.”
He also admitted that he is still not a hundred percent and he is just there to provide moral support for his teammates.
“I think sa susunod na training namin kailangan pa namin pag-aralan yung mga positioning ng attacks nila and yun lang, kasi ako wala naman ako masyadong ma-share sa kanila, talagang tulong lang when it comes to morale kasi galing ako injury,” said the former NCAA MVP.
“Ngayon lang ako nagrerecover so hindi masyadong maisugal ni coach yung kalagayan ko kasi hindi pa hundred percent pero tina-try ko naman. At least nakita natin na talagang pinaghirapan din naman ng team, kinapos lang talaga.”
