It’s not just Dwight Ramos who is ailing as Gilas Pilipinas braces for a tough two-day clash with Serbia and the Dominican Republic in the 2021 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament-Belgrade.
Two of Gilas’s big men in Carl Tamayo and Angelo Kouame still can’t get to the ideal tempo during their practices at the Aleksandar Nikolić Hall over the past few days in Serbia.
Tamayo, a 6-foot-7 forward, sustained a left ankle injury during the Philippines’ game against Indonesia during the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers in Clark last June 18.
Doctors set the timetable for his recovery at a week. Though the swelling has already subsided, the UP Fighting Maroon is still experiencing discomfort during the sessions.
“Carl Tamayo, I wouldn’t say that he has a setback… But now that he is trying to go full speed, he is experiencing quite a bit of discomfort on his ankle,” Baldwin said about the 20-year-old forward.
Tamayo averaged 8.0 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.0 assists per game in the Asia Cup Qualifiers.
“I think he will push through.”
The seven-foot Kouame, on the other hand, has been nursing a deep knee bruise which he sustained against Korea in the Qualifiers. He later on aggravated it during Gilas’s tune-up against China last June 23.
Photo from FIBA.basketball
“Ange Kouame is nursing his deep knee bruise, deep knee contusion that he got from the third window,” Baldwin remarked about the condition of Kouame.
The Ivorian-Filipino, meanwhile, normed 10.0 points and 6.3 rebounds in three games played in the Clark window.
“He is not at full speed.”
Safe to say, Gilas will be a banged-up bunch against two of the world’s powerhouse basketball teams.
“We are not as healthy as we want to be.”
