Returning Belo fends off worries about injured knee

Mac Belo. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/ INQUIRER.net

Out of action since April, Mac Belo’s excitement was palpable when he joined the national team practices for the first time on Wednesday afternoon at Meralco Gym.

“I’ve been out of basketball for so long, so I’m just excited to get back,” said Belo in Filipino.

Belo, who also missed the 2017 SEABA Championship, underwent an arthroscopic surgery to fix a torn meniscus on his left knee, keeping him out of action until last week.

Those few weeks away from the game has made the Midsayap, North Cotabato even hungrier for action as he get back on the court with Gilas.

“Even before I had the injury, I really wanted to play, so now that I’m alright, I’m just so happy to get back on the court,” he said.

The lanky forward, though, didn’t deny that he was still uncomfortable going full speed at times as he favors his still recovering knee.

“I’m trying to take that hesitance and that fear out of my mind. If I think about that, it will just add to my worries so I’d rather not mind those stuff,” he said.

But his excitement is outweighing the woes, and Belo is just happy to join forces with his fellow pool members as the younger Gilas crew prepares for the 2017 Jones Cup and the 2017 Southeast Asian Games.

“I’m happy that the other young guys are here. Ray (Parks) can help us a lot, same with Christian (Standhardinger) and Kobe (Paras). Their training will be valuable for us here in Gilas and I’m happy that they’re here and we can learn a lot from them,” he said.