Ola Adeogun
Hapee coach Ronnie Magsanoc noticeably benched Ola Adeogun for the rest of the second half on Thursday.
It was quite a strange scene to witness as the Fresh Fighters gutted out close wins in the past behind the Nigerian big man.
After went on to take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-3 Finals series of the 2015 PBA D-League Foundation Cup, Magsanoc said Adeogun was under the weather.
“He was tired and not feeling well,” the coach said.
Adeogun explained after the game that added to the fatigue he’s already experiencing, he also fought through pain after hurting his hamstring early in the first quarter after he got hit by Michael Miranda on a rebound sequence.
Adeogun said that he himself asked Magsanoc to leave him on the sidelines
“I told coach if my help is no longer needed, he can save me for Game 2.”
He still finished with 12 points and five rebounds in 12 minutes of play in Hapee’s 83-72 win.
But Adeogun said that the hit wasn’t really felt by Hapee as the returning Gilas stalwarts really was a big boost in the squad’s championship aspirations.
“You can see their impact. Baser (Amer), Troy (Rosario), and Scottie (Thompson), they’re all irreplaceable. They all stepped up,” he said. “If this happened last week, we might not be here in the Finals. But it’s a blessing, a good timing.”
One win away from tasting another championship in the D-League, Adeogun assured Hapee fans that he’ll be ready for war on Monday.
“Every game, we expect physicality. We’ll be fine,” he said. CFC