FILE – Barangay Ginebra guard LA Tenorio. PBA IMAGES
MANILA, Philippines-Barangay Ginebra coach Tim Cone ruled out LA Tenorio for the rest of the PBA Governors’ Cup due to a groin injury that led to the end of his record streak of 744 consecutive games.
“We heard from the trainers, approximately four to six weeks,” Cone said after Ginebra’s 112-107 win over Meralco on Wednesday at Smart Araneta Coliseum. “So he’ll probably be out for the rest of the conference. He’s gonna undergo surgery.”
Tenorio was said to have “aggravated his sports hernia” which forced the veteran cager to miss a game for the first time in his PBA career. The 17-year veteran was not in the venue when his streak was halted.
Cone couldn’t help but console with Tenorio, who has been bothered by the injury since the Gin Kings defeated the guest team Bay Area Dragons for the Commissioner’s Cup title.
“That was devastating to LA,” said Cone. “But all good things come to an end. He’s one of those guys who only doesn’t miss games, he doesn’t miss practices—he doesn’t miss practice his whole career. It’s amazing that he’s been able to get this far.
“This is a record that’s gonna be a while, a long time for someone to break. Because this is actually the first game he’s missed in his entire career. And he’s already 38 years old. Imagine that.”
But Cone is hoping that the absence would benefit not just Tenorio but Ginebra in the long run.
“It’s the end of an era. But it’s not the end of LA. He’s gonna be back. He’s gonna come back to play. We’re looking forward to keeping a spot for him. And I’m sure he’ll just start another streak, knowing LA.
“It was a big deal for him, and a big deal for us. But the only thing we can do is move on. So we move on from here. And he will, too,” added Cone.