San Miguel Beer center June Mar Fajardo reacts during Game 6 of the PBA Philippine Cup Finals vs TNT.—MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
June Mar Fajardo’s calf issue could be one of the factors that will determine how achievable Gilas Pilipinas’ ultimate goal is in the Fiba Asia Cup.
Fajardo finally took part in a Gilas practice in the team’s second day in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, after spending time resting in the aftermath of his massive role in San Miguel Beer’s title run in the PBA Philippine Cup.
It’s still unsure if Fajardo will get some action at press time when Gilas faced Jordan in a tuneup match that came three days before the Philippines’ Asia Cup opener against Chinese-Taipei.
“He wants to play,” coach Tim Cone said. “He knows he’s tired, he knows he’s worn out. He’s got a calf issue, but he wants to play so that’s not an issue for him.”
Videos posted by One Sports on social media showed Fajardo running through the plays Cone mapped out for the continental tournament that has Gilas in Group D with Chinese-Taipei, New Zealand and Iraq.
Cone has been high on Fajardo being a major part of the Gilas system, especially now that the national team is lacking bigs with Kai Sotto still out recovering from an ACL injury.
AJ Edu is the other frontline standout for Gilas, and gave some ray of hope of being a capable option down low after helping erase a 21-point deficit in a victory over the Macau Black Bears in Monday’s send-off exhibition at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Focus: Every day
Gilas is aiming to bounce back from a quarterfinal exit in the 2022 edition held in Jakarta, and Cone said the ceiling is very high for this Asia Cup.
“Our goal is to win the gold medal,” Cone said. “I mean, we’re gonna go out there and try to win a gold medal. Will we? I’m not sure. But that’s certainly our goal.
“But that’s not what we’re focused on, though. We’re focused on every day, what we do every day and we’re focused on the first game we play. Beyond that, there’s nothing.”
The focus will be on getting things right against Jordan, which Gilas could face beyond group play. Afterward, it will be plotting to get back at Chinese-Taipei on Tuesday (early-Wednesday Philippine time).
Chinese-Taipei defeated Gilas handily during the final window of the Asia Cup Qualifiers in Taipei.
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“We will do what we can to get there, but we’re not going to look that far ahead,” Cone said. “Right now, our goal is right there, but our focus is what’s right in front of us.”