Rosario boosting Ginebra frontline

Troy Rosario continues to prove his worth as Barangay Ginebra marches into the quarterfinals of the Commissioner’s Cup of the Philippine Basketball Association.

Kings head coach Tim Cone said he is happy to see Rosario stepping up, especially now that Japeth Aguilar is recovering from a lung injury that he suffered during their previous game against Blackwater last Friday.

With Aguilar out, the former National University star delivered, firing 12 points and 13 rebounds as Ginebra notched a 119-107 win over Titan Ultra last Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Aguilar remains doubtful in their next two games against Meralco on Friday and leader Rain or Shine on Sunday, prompting Cone to once again turn to Rosario for much-needed support in the shaded lanes.

“Troy’s been doing a tremendous job coming off the bench for us the last couple of games, but stepped into the starting lineup again, as he had for the last couple of conferences, and just played great,” Cone said.

“He wasn’t shooting threes this time like he was in the last game and that just goes to show his versatility. He was doing most of his stuff inside and around the basket. That’s what makes him special, because he can hurt you in so many different ways.”

Aside from Rosario, Cone is also expected to lean on Isaac Go, Kemark Cariño and Sonny Estil to fill the huge void created by Aguilar’s absence.

“He (Aguilar) will have to get in practice so he is doubtful for this coming weekend but I wouldn’t rule him out altogether. But I think he is doubtful for this weekend, the coming games when we play Friday and Sunday,” Cone said.

“First step, get out of the hospital. After that, we will decide how we will go from there. Hopefully, we put a game plan together in terms of getting him back in the lineup.”