Casio in a corner: injury freezes No. 1 pick

STAR GUARD. National team's JVee Casio, who has been drafted by Powerade in the PBA, will have to wait a few more games as he is sidelined with an injury.

MANILA, Philippines—JV Casio, with his left knee and thigh heavily taped in ice, sat on the sidelines as he watched his teammates work their tails off  just a couple of days before the 37th PBA Philippine Cup kicks off.

Casio, tabbed as the No.1 overall pick by Powerade, is expected to shoulder much of the scoring cudgels for the overhauled Tigers raring to turn their fortunes around.

But the former National team standout’s keenly-awaited debut was pushed to a farther date due to a nagging PFTS (patellofemoral tracking syndrome) injury.

“I’ve been undergoing therapy,” said Casio.  “I can play, but I need to completely rest because it might be aggravated.”

And as much as Casio’s presence will be severely missed, coach Bo Perasol said there are other concerns that need to be addressed first.

“We have plans for him in the future and not just short term so we need him to be strong. He knows we have a  solid back up for him,” Perasol said.

“I know we got good acquisition but the next challenge would be cohesion,” added Perasol. “We have to make sure that everybody knows what they need to do and the roles in the team, and by doing that we can be better.”

With only a few holdovers from last season led by the sharpshooting Gary David and second-year player Sean Anthony, that all-important chemistry on and off the court will most likely determine Powerade’s fate.

Aside from Casio, the Tigers will also parade Marcio Lassiter, a versatile swingman that flaunts both a lethal offensive game and a tough to crack on-ball defender.

“Right now we can attack both left and right [with  Lassiter here],” said Perasol. “We need that of kind of manpower to make our offense and defense effective.”

Other off-season acquisitions expected to provide quality minutes are former Rain or Shine slot men Doug Kramer, Josh Vanlandingham, inside operators Rommel Adducul and the comebacking Alex Crisano.

With battle-tested rookies in Casio and Lassiter and the usual dose of explosiveness from their main man David, there’s no better time for the Tigers to bare its teeth.

“I believe we can contend. It’s only a matter of time,” said Perasol. Rounding up the Powerade squad are Celino Cruz, James Martinez, Rudy Lingganay, Francis Allera, Ricky Calimag and Will Antonio.

“We’re going to be competitive in the All-Filipino Cup,” said Perasol. “These people are really raring to go.”