Thoss raring to get back into action for Aces after injury layoff
After sitting out Alaska’s first six games of the season, Sonny Thoss is set to make his debut against Star on Wednesday.
Coach Alex Compton confirmed the development after the Aces’ Tuesday afternoon practice at Gatorade Hoops Center in Shaw.
“He may be playing a little bit. We’ll have to see how he feels,” the mentor said with the Aces hoping to get a much needed boost on their frontcourt.
But the same can’t be said for Noy Baclao who has been ruled out for the remainder of the conference due to his knee injury.
Still, Thoss’ return will be a welcome note for Alaska, which has ranked second to last in rebounding with 43.5 boards per outing this 2017 PBA Philippine Cup with undersized forwards like Calvin Abueva, Vic Manuel, Carl Bryan Cruz, Marion Magat, and even veteran Tony dela Cruz all taking turns in manning the paint.
The 35-year-old big man has dealt with a knee injury which sidelined him since November. But he notes that the Aces’ three-week break helped him get back in shape.
“I was just resting and doing therapy during the break and it really helped. It’s boring sitting on the sides, so I’m looking forward getting back on the court and see how it goes,” he said.
Admittedly still far from being 100-percent, Thoss said that he’s not expecting to get heavy minutes in his first game back, but he knows that him being on uniform and even seeing action for a few minutes will be a huge morale-booster for his team.
“We’ll see how the warmups go and try to play a little bit and see how it goes. It’s a little bit shaky but
it’s good to be back on the floor again,” he said.
Thoss is also quite pleased with the way the other guys held the fort for him while he was on the road to recovery, saying, “They’ve been doing a great job. They’ve been stepping up when the opportunity came up and they stood up to the plate. I’m proud of those guys.”
He’s just hopeful not to muddle the way things are going for the Aces, as they seek to improve their standing as they currently stand at an even 3-3 record.
“The guys are looking good. They have been working hard during the long break. We feel our chances are good but we got to stay disciplined and focus what we need to get done,” he said. “Of course, that’s one of our main goal, to not just get to the playoffs but hopefully, be more successful this time. We’ll take it one game at a time, we still have five crucial games coming up, so we have to stay focused and disciplined and hopefully, it works out.”
