Marcio Lassiter relaxes after practice. Photo by Randolph Leongson
Marcio Lassiter admitted that it felt good to once again be on the court practicing for the national team.
Lassiter returned to Gilas Pilipinas training on Tuesday with the team deep into their build up for the Fiba Olympic Qualifying tournament in July.
“It’s my first day so it’s good to get out there and practice with everybody, just seeing the guys try to make strides to our ultimate goal, just learning each day, try to pick up the offense from the coach,” he said after the morning practices at Meralco Gym.
Since San Miguel got eliminated in the 2016 PBA Commissioner’s Cup semifinals, Lassiter said that he has not held a basketball and rather, focused on healing a minor knee injury.
“I had some time away from the court,” he said. “I’m just trying to get back into it right now. It feels good to be back playing, but we’re just grinding it out right now. We’re figuring it all out. I’m just trying to get it together, get my conditioning back, and get my strength back. Hopefully, I continue building on it, trusting my shot and continue to work harder, do what I have to do to prepare myself.”
Though the Fil-Am gunslinger missed a number of Gilas practices, Lassiter said that he was still able to keep up during the drills.
“I’m still familiar with most of the plays. They might have added a few more, so I just try to learn the new plays,” he said.
With the nationals now undergoing daily practices, Lassiter feels that chemistry will truly be the difference maker in Gilas Pilipinas’ quest for a ticket to the 2016 Rio Olympics.
“We have most of the players here now, so we need to get as much as we can and maximize the talent that we have so that we can get some chemistry down. I think in due time, the more we work, the more we get used to each other, the more live practices, the more we get into it, we’ll start picking it up,” he said. “We’re just trying to figure out how could we all jell right now with the time we have so we can compete and bring home what we need to bring home.”