More tough luck for Gilas as injured Rey Suerte likely to miss FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers

Gilas Pilipinas skipper Rey Suerte’s availability for the 2021 FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers and FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) is up in the air after the sweet-shooting guard suffered an injury while inside the bubble camp.

According to SBP, the newly-designated team captain has been added to the list of injured players after he sustained a sprained ankle during yesterday’s practice session at the Inspire Sports Academy in Calamba, Laguna.

He will join Matt Nieto (broken hand) and Dave Ildefonso (bone bruise - foot) who will be out for the two major tourneys.

“The swelling is significant,” said Gilas Program Director Tab Baldwin.

“He was recently designated as our team captain so this is not good news at all. It’s unfortunate because he was also doing very well in practice.”

Suerte’s absence will definitely be a big blow for Gilas as the former standout for the University of the East suited up for both wins against Thailand in the second window.

In the first meeting, Suerte, the second pick of the 2019 Special Gilas Draft, finished with 9 points while in the second match, he contributed four markers, three rebounds, three assists and a steal.

“Rey has been our captain and eldest member of the team so his maturity has been a stabilizing force in our group. He’s also an excellent three-point shooter who has a scorer’s mentality so he has become a reliable source of points,” explained Baldwin.

“We will miss his leadership and scoring punch in the team.”

Gilas is set to face South Korea twice on June 16 and 20 while taking on Indonesia on the 19th.

—Bea Micaller/JMB, GMA News