CJ Cansino’s first year with University of Santo Tomas came to a bitter end after he suffered an anterior cruciate ligament tear in his left knee against University of the Philippines last Saturday.
The Growling Tigers still had a game left on their schedule in the UAAP Season 81 men’s basketball tournament but all Cansino did against Ateneo on Wednesday was look from the sidelines.
Despite the crushing injury, the youngster didn’t show any adverse feelings and instead vowed that he would be back a better person come Season 82.
“I will work this offseason so I can come back just in time for Season 82,” said Cansino in Filipino at Mall of Asia Arena. “I promise that I will be back for Season 82.”
The Growling Tigers finished the competition as the sixth seeds with a 5-9 record after their 102-62 loss to the Blue Eagles.
Cansino added that the moment he fell down to the floor against the Fighting Maroons, he prepared himself for the worst and he looked forward to what he will do after the operation, which is set on Monday.
“The moment it happened, I prepared for the worst I expected that it will be an ACL tear so I can prepare myself mentally on what I will do after the operation,” said Cansino who’ll go under the knife on Monday.
Cansino, however, wasn’t alone when he suffered the injury as he had the support of teammates and coaches who immediately sent him well wishes.
Another person who gave Cansino a bit of a pep talk was teammate Renzo Subido who also suffered an ACL tear prior to Season 78.
“I told him to really focus on his therapy and he has to be patient with it,” said Subido in Filipino. “When he comes back I told him to make sure that his body has gotten stronger so he can prevent any further major injuries.”