Recovering Abueva misses practicing for Gilas

Calvin Abueva, nursing a busted lip, sits out Gilas practice Thursday night. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

Gilas Pilipinas may very well see a masked beast soon.

Calvin Abueva shared that not even a busted lip could stop him from joining the national team pool practices as he looks forward to wearing a mask as soon as this weekend.

“I’ll be able to join practices again by Saturday or Sunday,” he said in Filipino.

The energetic Alaska forward sat out Thursday’s evening session at Meralco Gym just three days removed from him incurring a busted lip after an inadvertent collision with teammate Almond Vosotros last Monday.

That injury needed eight stitches on his upper right lip, rendering him inactive for Gilas practices and Alaska’s game against Phoenix on Friday.

“I’ll rest first. It’s no joke getting hit in the mouth,” he said.

Still, Abueva expects to suit up next week once he gets the doctor’s clearance by early next week.

He is slated to suit up for the Luzon All-Stars in Lucena on April 28 before joining the Gilas squad in Lapu-Lapu, Cebu on April 30 for the 2017 PBA All-Star Week.

“I miss practicing with Gilas and I also miss Raymond (Almazan),” Abueva said within his teammate’s earshot before turning serious. “It’s a different experience here with Gilas because this is really a family.”