JAPETH AGUILAR can breathe easy now that he’s back on active duty for quarterfinal-bound Barangay Ginebra.
“It was nice to be out there with my teammates,” the 6-foot-9 veteran said after playing his comeback game in a 93-86 win over TNT at the close of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup eliminations. “It’s a preparation for the playoffs.”
Mr. Aguilar spent two weeks recovering from “pneumomediastinum” or air between his lungs. He sustained the lung-related condition after a hard fall during Ginebra’s 115-108 win over Blackwater last April 24, forcing him out of three matches.
Finally getting medical clearance, the Ginebra stalwart was deployed in a starter’s role last Sunday, going up against the Tropang 5G’s fancied import Bol Bol at that.
The Gin Kings consciously helped Mr. Aguilar get warmed up, even going to him in their first play of the duel, where he tried to attack Mr. Bol but lost the leather.
Mr. Aguilar was thankful to have overcome this episode. — Olmin Leyba
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