Thompson recovers, makes Gilas return

Scottie Thompson finally recovered from a hand injury and will be on board when Gilas Pilipinas competes in the FIBA Basketball World Cup set from 25 August to 10 September.

Gilas assistant coach Tim Cone told Daily Tribune that he wasn't surprised when he saw the 6-foot-1 Thompson join the Gilas training last Sunday at the Philsports Arena.

Cone, who coaches Thompson at Barangay Ginebra in the Philippine Basketball Association, said the prized playmaker is a fighter who is ready to do everything to help his team emerge successful.

"He's Scottie doing Scottie things," Cone said in a Viber message. "He practiced without full restrictions and he's definitely back."

Doubts were raised on the availability of Thompson after he suffered a right metacarpal fracture during the final stretch of Gilas Pilipinas training in Lithuania. He failed to finish the remainder of the camp and was reduced into a sideliner when Gilas saw action in
a friendly series in China.

But he pulled off a shocker when he suddenly showed up in training, way ahead of his original timeline of six to eight weeks of recovery.

Gilas Pilipinas strength and conditioning mentor Dexter Aseron marveled at Thompson's quick recovery.

"His recovery was fast, one week faster than projected," said Aseron, who has been taking care of the health and fitness of Gilas stars since the FIBA Asia Men's Championship in 2013.

"He's quite a fast healer."

Thompson's injury was exactly the same with that of his Gilas teammate Calvin Oftana.

The injury, which Oftana sustained while playing for NLEX in the PBA, sidelined him for six weeks, prompting him to miss the playoffs last year.

But NLEX team doctor Ton Arcangel said although Thompson and Oftana suffered the same injury, he wasn't surprised with the quick recovery of the Ginebra star.

"A fractured metacarpal may take anywhere from three to six weeks or even more. It would depend of course on the severity of the fracture whether it may be a complete or incomplete fracture," Arcangel said in a text message.

"Another factor for return to play would be the presence of pain on the injured hand. If there's pain or discomfort, the recovery time period may be extended. I'm not really aware of the extent of Scottie's injury, but I am not really surprised by his injury timeline and
being cleared to play."