Do-it-all forward Ranidel De Ocampo won’t be suiting up for the Meralco Bolts in the early part of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup.
According to Meralco coach Norman Black, the 6-foot-6 banger with a silky outside shooting touch will be out for at least three weeks after suffering a mild tear in his left Achilles heel.
De Ocampo sat out the entire Philippine Cup following a calf injury he sustained during last year’s finals of the Governors Cup, where the Bolts lost in a best-of-seven championship series opposite the Ginebra Gin Kings.
“He (Ranidel) recovered from the old one but injured something else,” said Black. “Reynel Hugnatan and KG Canaleta would fill in the gaps and Cliff Hodge would start out as power forward.”
The import-laced Commissioner’s Cup will open on Sunday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.