Injured Jalalon rues missing World Cup qualifiers, shifts focus to Star

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO/PBA IMAGES

Sophomore playmaker Jio Jalalon couldn’t hide his frustrations as he was limited to a spectator in Star’s morning practice at Ronac Art Center on Tuesday.

“I’m not used to this, that I’m not practicing. I’m jealous,” he admitted.

Nursing an LCL injury, Jalalon was stuck in the sidelines doing therapy with the Hotshots PTs, watching helplessly as coach Chito Victolero laid down the groundwork in the team’s first week of practices.

But the former Arellano guard’s frustrations isn’t limited on Star alone with the injury also ruling him out of Gilas Pilipinas in the first leg of the 2019 Fiba World Cup qualifiers later this month.

“I’m already out. I really want to join them, but the doctors advised me to not to,” said Jalalon, who is will continue therapy for the next two weeks before the doctors could give him the green light to finally rejoin the Hotshots.

With the chance to don the national colors out of the picture, Jalalon is now looking at the next task ahead, and that is to be in full strength once Star opens its campaign this upcoming 2017-2018 PBA season.

“I’m just strengthening my knee and following what the PTs tell. I’ll continue doing therapy and I’m preparing to play in the opening,” he said.

As an observer, Jalalon also liked what he saw from the Hotshots after this first week of training.

“I could really see that we play well in our practices and I feel that this will be the time
we’ll really be contending for the title.”