Poy Erram managed to participate in Gilas Pilipinas’ practice on Tuesday evening at the Meralco Gym in Pasig, despite spraining his right ankle during a five-on-five scrimmage Monday.
“The injury to Poy is not serious so he’s playing,” said the veteran mentor after the Nationals’ practice session.
Still, though Guiao need no longer worry for Erram, he can’t do the same for Matthew Wright.
The 6-foot-4 swingman also hurt his foot Monday evening during a non-contact session. Fortunately, assessments show he did not tear his ligament as feared.
“I was fine, then right when I felt it, I just sat down. It was too painful to continue. I was worried at first, but I feel a lot confident now coming from the doctor,” said Wright.
The doctors advised him to rest, which means he has to sit out four to five days of practice. This is a tough blow for Gilas, since this is a critical part of its FIBA World Cup preparations.
With that, Wright may not be able to partake in Gilas’ tuneups versus the Adelaide 36ers on August 23 and 25.
“It’s unfortunate because we don’t have a lot of time,” rued Wright, who’s been with Gilas since 2017. “I don’t know if I’ll be able to play in the tuneup game, which is disappointing for me.”
Given its severity, his injury might also play a factor in Guiao’s selections for the final 12-man lineup for Worlds.
“Maybe somehow it will factor in. Kasi he will miss days of practice. I don’t know if he can play the Australia game, so medyo crucial,” Guiao said. “I’ll talk to the coaching staff about that.”
Now, the Fil-Canadian guard could only hope for the best, that his injury will heal as quickly as possible.
“Injuries are part of the game. I just hope it heals faster. We don’t have a lot of time to waste and I want to be in top shape heading into the tournament,” Wright said.
