Castro hurts ankle, may miss W Cup

Jason Castro, the unofficial MVP of Gilas Pilipinas in the Filipinos’ successful return to the World Cup, is in serious jeopardy of missing the event set in Spain in less than 10 days after suffering a feared Achilles tendon tear on Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila).

Named to the Mythical Team in the Manila Qualifying just over a year ago, Castro injured his right ankle in a tuneup match against club team Euskadi in San Sebastian, Spain.

The Nationals lost, 75-66, for their fourth straight setback counting a winless stint in the Antibes, France pocket tournament featuring three other national teams.

Castro will undergo a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) test to determine the extent of the injury, although team manager Aboy Castro said the team is fearing the worst.

Achilles tears take a long time to heal. The last such injury in the PBA was the one that kept Danny Seigle out for more than eight months.

The six-foot Castro is the second point guard to go down with an injury after Paul Lee was rested a couple of days ago by coach Chot Reyes because of a bruised hip.

Reyes still has two other guards at his disposal in former PBA MVP Jimmy Alapag and former Jones Cup MVP LA Tenorio.

Alapag, who was already dropped from the Asian Games lineup in Incheon next month, could get another call to suit up if the injury on Castro does turn out to be a bad one.