MANILA, Philippines - Filipino-American guard Marcio Lassiter will not join Smart Gilas Pilipinas when it competes in the 21st FIBA-Asia Champions Cup slated May 22-30 in Doha, Qatar.
This after the team decided to rest Lassiter, who joined the Nationals in the Dubai Invitational last January, after hurting his right knee in the series of exhibition games with American Basketball Association teams weeks ago.
“He can’t join us in Doha. He has a slight tear on his right knee,” said Allan Gregorio, one of RP’s Serbian coach Rajko Toroman’s assistants.
“Team doctors want Marcio to rest the knee for at least a month, so he can’t play in Doha,” Jude Roque, also a Smart Gilas assistant coach, said.
Lassiter joined JV Casio, who was named best guard in the Dubai Invitational, in the list of injured players. Casio suffered an MCL injury he got when RP played in Serbia more than a month ago.
This means point guard duties will be spread out among team captain Chris Tiu, co-skipper Mark Barroca, JR Cawaling and utility guard RJ Jazul.
Tiu is playing with an ailing leg while Barroca is being bothered by a hurting back but both shrugged it off and committed to play for RP in the nine-day, import-laced tournament.
Making it worse is that Smart Gilas and Serbian import Milan Vucicevic, who only joined the squad a couple of weeks ago, has yet to adjust to teammates’ plays.
The Filipinos are hoping to improve on their fifth place finish in last year’s staging in Jakarta, Indonesia but with the recent developments, life would be a little bit tougher.
“We were complete last year so it will be really difficult for us. But we will not let this bother us. Our focus is to play better, give our best,” said Toroman.
What’s going great for Smart Gilas is that seven-foot Fil-Am Greg Slaughter has improved tremendously.
“The Dubai team is stronger than our team now if we consider the injury and new import factors. But compared to Jakarta, we’re stronger because we have more experience and our big men have all improved,” said Roque.
Slaughter, who will suit up for the reigning back-to-back UAAP champion Ateneo next season, has been carrying the load inside in the absence of an import.