It’s all in the past now for Damian Chongqui, as he made sure to suit up for Macau’s final game in the PBA Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup on Wednesday.
Moving on from his infamous storm-off during their eventual defeat to Terrafirma last Saturday, the diminutive playmaker competed alongside his fellow Black Knights and played a key role in delivering a stunner to Phoenix.
And he did so even with a hurting leg, the very reason why he headed to the bench with less than five minutes left in the game, never to return.
“Whatever happened in that situation is between him and upper management. But I know his leg and his calf muscle and all that were a little strained,” said Coach Marcus Elliott after their 105-98 win at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
Chongqui hogged the headlines over the weekend for walking out late in the third quarter of their meeting with the Dyip, which reportedly saw him head to the locker room after being subbed out before leaving NAS altogether.
Even the former ABL Most Valuable Player turned mentor was left clueless about what happened, adding that he’s never experienced such a situation before.
The reason behind his actions remains unknown to this day, but Elliott did laud the attitude his guard has shown in practice since, and the effort he displayed in their last hurrah despite nursing an injury that’s long been an issue for him.
(C) PBA Images
Undeniably one of their best players before getting hurt, apparently due to wear and tear, ‘DC’ played for a total of 33 minutes and 17 seconds, and registered eight points, four rebounds, and seven assists before leaving the match.
“He’s been tweaking his ankle almost every other game for whatever reason. I don’t know if it’s the shoes, or just the play, the physicality,” the 42-year-old from California, as he has just wrapped up his first tournament as a head coach.
“But… yeah, he’s had a great attitude the whole week. Kinda iced him out in practice a little bit, kept his reps low, so he can recover and doesn’t injure himself. And we’ll see if he comes back for the next conference.”
It remains to be seen, though, if he and Macau will see action in the Season 50 Governors’ Cup. If ever they do, Elliott hopes to have more players at his disposal after facing manpower issues in their maiden PBA campaign.
For most of their games, the guest team only had eight to nine players present, leaving the brain trust with no choice but to make do with limited rotations.
Despite that, the usual suspects were consistent in delivering the goods. Against the Fuel Masters alone, five players finished in double figures, with Jenning Leung leading the pack with 32 points, spiked by six triples.
“Have consistent bodies. Have consistent bodies on our depth chart,” he said. “Our main core is amazing. Everybody’s got high numbers, and we’re always a possession or two away from winning the game, or being close to winning it.
“So really, just have more depth.”
