Von Pessumal. Photo from Filoil Flying V Sports Facebook.
MANILA, Philippines — Already making use of an undermanned line-up amid a cramped up schedule this summer, Ateneo lost another player due to injury on Friday.
Swingman Von Pessumal had to be rushed to the hospital after only four minutes on the floor when he injured a finger in his right hand during their game against Lyceum in the Filoil Flying V Hanes Premier Cup. The Blue Eagles went on to win, 84-64.
At one point, the team was down to nine players on the bench with G-Boy Babilonia as he sat out after reinjuring his shoulder in their last game against University of the East.
When asked about Pessumal’s condition after the game, Ateneo team manager Paolo Trillo still did not have any details for the media.
“We still don’t know [how he is]. We brought him to the hospital. We don’t know the extent of his injury but it didn’t look too good,” said Trillo.
Kiefer Ravena, who led the Blue Eagles with 21 points, admitted that the sight of Pessumal’s bloodied finger zapped some energy out of the squad.
“[Maybe the reason why there] was a slump in the second quarter was because everyone kind of had a vision of what happened,” said Ravena.
“It got tangled up in the jersey [of the opponent], then there was a chop,” recalled Ravena of the incident which happened early in the second quarter.
Pessumal has been one of the Blue Eagles’ consistent players in the tournament and is poised for a breakout season in the UAAP.
But even if in the worst case scenario where Pessumal needs to sit out for a while, Trillo assured that the third year guard will be with the Blue Eagles’ training in the United States.
“He will be with us. For us right know, the idea is to get healthy, hopefully we can build in the summer training in the States then comeback healthier,” Trillo said.
Ateneo is leaving the country for their annual training in the U.S. and Japan with a stellar 6-1 card in the tournament.