San Miguel Beer center June Mar Fajardo on Tuesday gave assurance that he will be healed and ready for the FIBA World Cup the Philippines is co-hosting with Japan and Indonesia in August.
The six-time PBA Most Valuable Player said he will not let go of the chance to be part of history.
“Paghahandaan ko ‘yan. Hindi ko palalampasin ang pagkakataon,” said Fajardo during the partnership ceremony between San Miguel Corporation and the Samahang Basketball ng Pilipinas for the FIBA World Cup.
Fajardo, who is recuperating from an MCL injury that caused him to miss most part of the PBA Governors’ Cup playoffs, said his rehabilitation is in the final phase and he sees himself practicing on the court in a few weeks.
At that time, the Gilas Team will have already arrived from the Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia.
Gilas and coach Chot Reyes are aching to get back at Indonesia and regain basketball supremacy in Southeast Asia, although he emphasized that the World Cup remains his bigger focus.
He’s currently having concerns in forming the SEAG-bound squad with the absence of marquee players Jamie Malonzo of Ginebra and TNT’s Mikey Williams, the best player of the recent PBA Governors’ Cup.
Reyes may also consider Japeth Aguilar, who is also recovering from an injury.
“We’d love to have Japeth (Aguilar) but I don’t think he’s anywhere 100 percent. We don’t want to risk it because remember, our big-picture [goal] here is the World Cup (in August),” said Reyes.
He added there are no shoo-ins in Gilas’ lineup for the FIBA World Cup, but Aguilar and Fajardo are prime candidates to make the team.