Hamadou Laminou. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
Showing no signs of rust, Hamadou Laminou took the spotlight on Friday as he helped Emilio Aguinaldo College nab the 74-64 win over St. Benilde to kickstart its NCAA Season 93 men’s basketball campaign.
The Cameroonian big man looked like he didn’t miss a beat as he roared in his season debut, posting 21 points, grabbing 13 rebounds, and tallying seven blocks in the dominating victory.
Though there are no doubts on Laminou’s capabilities, it’s still a surprising performance considering that two weeks ago, his status for the opening week was still up in the air because of the MCL injury on his left knee.
READ: EAC takes command with rout of St. Benilde
Laminou himself admitted that he’s still far from tip-top shape, but he’s doing his best to keep up with his fellow Generals.
“I feel like I’m at 60-percent,” he said. “Actually, I just came back from my injury last Monday. I didn’t practice for almost two months. I’m trying my best to be in condition.”
Fortunately for Laminou, he has his fellow veterans Sidney Onwubere and Francis Munsayac by his side as he reintroduces himself to the flow of coach Ariel Sison’s system.
“I get all my confidence with my teammates Sidney and Francis. Last year, we tried to help each other and we look at it the same way so we can make it good this year,” he said.
Sison acknowledged that Laminou’s return is a huge boost for EAC, noting that had his foreign player didn’t go down with an injury, the team could have made it far in the preseason tourneys.
“If Laminou played, we might have had a better showing in Filoil,” he said.
But Laminou, with enough trust on Sison’s system and the camaraderie he has with his fellow Generals, has his full confidence that the squad can fulfill their preseason goal and make it to the Final Four for the first time in school history.
“We have trust in the coach and we hope that we can make it into the Final Four. We want to make it good this year,” he said.