MANILA – Alaska Aces campaign in the restart of the 2020 Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Philippine Cup hit a snag with forward Kevin Racal missing the rest of the tournament due to a knee injury.
Aces head coach Jeffrey Cariaso said Racal suffered a complete tear on his right anterior cruciate ligament during the Aces’ 100-95 defeat to TNT Tropang Giga at the AUF Sports Arena and Cultural Center in Pampanga last Sunday.
The six-foot-three former Colegio de San Juan de Letran Knights forward got hurt in the third quarter, when his knee wobbled while playing defense. He finished the match with eight points and two rebounds.
“He’s done with the bubble. That’s a big hit on us,” Cariaso said during the league’s media availability on Thursday. “We know the type of player that Kevin is. He’s been known to be a defensive player. He’s one of our best defenders at the wings and the guards.”
Racal’s absence comes as a huge blow to the Aces campaign, with the team already down 0-2 in the standings following its 93-81 defeat to the Meralco Bolts on Wednesday evening.
Meanwhile, Phoenix Super LPG Fuel Masters is close to having veteran Calvin Abueva back after the Office of the Chairman of the Games and Amusements Board (GAB) recommended the reinstatement of his professional license.
GAB Chairman’s Office official Kara Mallonga made the recommendation after Abueva completed the seminar on the Professional Athlete’s Code of Conduct held virtually last Oct. 6, 8 and 14.
“The Professional Athlete’s Code of Conduct and Ethics seminar has been satisfactorily completed by Calvin Abueva as part of the pre-requisites for the reinstatement of his Games and Amusements Board Professional Basketball License,” Mallonga said.
“Based on the compliance to the documentary requirements and results of the post-seminar evaluation, reinstatement of his professional license is, therefore, recommended subject to the conditions and approval of the Board,” she added./PN
