With suspected meniscal tear, Belo’s Gilas stint uncertain

Mac Belo. Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

Mac Belo’s immediate future with Gilas Pilipinas is up in the air after the rookie aggravated an old knee injury.

The soft-spoken forward spoke to the media after sitting out Blackwater’s 92-89 loss to TNT on Friday and shared his uncertainty over his national team stint with a suspected meniscal tear on his right knee.

“I’ve had this since last conference. I thought it’s just an ITP (idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura), but when I had it checked the other day, the doctor’s initial findings saw that there might be a meniscal tear,” he said.

Belo underwent MRI on Thursday but has yet to receive the results.

If the results come back worse than suspected, Belo will be the fourth player to be in the Gilas Pilipinas pool’s injury list, joining Russel Escoto, Paul Lee, and Art dela Cruz.

Though there’s no doubt in Belo’s commitment for national cause, he said that his hands are tied as he will have to follow the doctor’s orders on whether he will be available in time for the 2017 Seaba Championships in May.

“It all depends on the results and I’m waiting for it. I will follow the doctor’s orders,” he said. “If I’ll have it my way, I’ll still play because I’ve played through pain before. But I can’t go against the doctor’s orders.”

His mother ballclub Blackwater is also keenly awaiting the prognosis as his absence left a huge hole for the team after averaging 12.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, and three assists so far this conference.

“It’s really hard because I want to help the team but I’m just in the sidelines cheering them,” he said. “I still trust my teammates and the coaches.”

The Elite are 0-4 so far this 2017 PBA Commissioner’s Cup.