After missing four games due to a hamstring injury and his continuing recovery from his injured nose, Alex Cabagnot finally returned to the fold for the San Miguel Beermen, Wednesday evening.
It was a triumphant return for Cabagnot. The guard finished with a team second-best 19 points on an efficient 8-of-15 shooting from the field, alongside five assists, to help SMB dismantle the Blackwater Elite, 93-79.
“Thank God na I got to play today,” said the 36-year-old. “All the therapy sessions – I’m still gonna continue to do it – pero all the therapy sessions weren’t in vain. It wasn’t in vain at all. I’m very thankful na nakalaro ako.
“Na-miss ko din eh.”
Still, he hasn’t been completely cleared to play yet, as revealed by San Miguel head coach Leo Austria.
“Actually, the doctor is still not giving him the full clearance,” the decorated mentor bared. “We have to manage his minutes, but he’s really eager to play eh, because he wants to win eh.
“Ayaw niyang nakikita yung team na natatalo eh.”
Meanwhile, Cabagnot is just grateful that he gets to play again. He admitted that he’d wanted to play last Friday when the Beermen fought the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters in Antipolo, but his wish wasn’t granted.
And San Miguel badly missed Cabagnot in that match, as they lost, 98-108.
“I wanted to play on Friday, pero si doktora, she said no. Si doktora, sabi niya arbor ko na muna ‘yung week na ito, next week ka na. Sabi ko, sige. Parang na-ano nga ako, when she broke the news to me, because I was very excited.
“We did an ultrasound, just the typical therapy stuff. I really thought I was gonna get the go-signal on Friday, last Friday yata,” Cabagnot recalled. “So I’m just fortunate, God-willing, na nakalaro ako today.”
Now that he has rejoined the Beermen, who have improved to 3-3, Cabagnot looks to regain his tip-top form.
“I’m getting there. Actually, it’s just my timing, just little kinks here and there,” he said. “But we still have to stay on top of it.
“It’s a tedious process, pero it’s something that we have to stay on top of para hindi madisgrasya – knock on wood.”
