Venky Jois is suspected to have suffered an Achilles injury that caused him to leave NorthPort’s eventual loss to Meralco on Saturday evening.
Batang Pier head coach Bonnie Tan said that it was the initial diagnosis offered by the team’s physical therapist, but the team is still crossing its fingers with the Australian import yet to undergo a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan.
Jois was clutching the back of his lower right leg, as he got hurt approaching the last three minutes of the first quarter. He came in contact with counterpart Allen Durham in an attempt to carve space for a shot near the rim.
The 31-year-old was visibly in pain and had to be helped out on his way to the bench, and was eventually stretchered out of the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
Tan and his deputies have already discussed their next course of action in anticipation of the worst, but they have yet to come up with a decision.
NorthPort fell outside the Top 4 of Group B in the ongoing PBA Governors’ Cup as it dropped to 3-5 after the 114-104 loss to the Bolts.
They will need to win its remaining games versus Magnolia and TNT to keep their quarterfinal hopes up.
If ever the coaches and management come to a situation where they have to bring in a new reinforcement, the Batang Pier will figure in a race against time as Taylor Johns, who played in their season opener, is no longer in Manila.
