Third-year Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagle Raffy Verano was having himself a career-game on Wednesday afternoon, when he and the defending champions took on the University of the East Red Warriors.
In 13 minutes of game time, the 20-year-old had tallied 12 points on an efficient 6-for-7 shooting to go along with four rebounds, two assists, and two steals. However, a freak accident occurred with 8:52 left in the game.
As the burly 6-foot-3 forward went for a hook shot, his right foot landed squarely on his defender. He crumpled to the floor, visibly worried about what had just happened.
“I mean I think I overreacted a little bit because I heard a pop but that’s just me as a player and being cautious of what happened,” the product of San Gabriel Academy recalled.
He did not come back to the game.
But after having it checked by the team’s medical staff, he was assured that he did not need to worry about it.
“At the end of the day I think it’s just a little sprain so I just have to treat it carefully,” added Verano, who was eight points away from tying his career-high.
His outing drew high praise from Ateneo assistant coach Sandy Arespacochaga, saying he was the one who paced the Blue Eagles’ strong start.
“Raffy played well for us and our bigs,” the Ateneo lifer shared.
But for Verano, he deflected the credit to his teammates.
“I think my teammates were just feeding me a lot,” the Filipino-American shared. “I just took the right shots I felt like it you know within their defense. I think that’s where it came to me, I took it.
“I just came with that mindset, ready to play.”
With this mindset, Verano hopes that he can play on Saturday when the Blue Eagles take on the University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers.
