Alaska is hoping that the indefinite suspension of the PBA Governors’ Cup can give import Olu Ashaolu more time to recover from an injured calf.
Ashaolu sustained the injury last Dec. 22 when the Aces rolled past the Blackwater Bossing, 98-75, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum before the league decided to halt the games due to the COVID-19 surge.
Aces star Jeron Teng said the break could be a “blessing in disguise” for Ashaolu, one of the best performing imports of the season-ending conference.
“Yung break na to naging blessing in disguise kasi yung import namin nagkaroon ng minor injury,” Teng said during an interview in the program Power and Play that aired Saturday, Jan. 15.
“I think it would benefit him kasi he’d have more time to recover and improve his conditioning so malaking bagay yun for us,” added Teng.
The Nigerian-Canadian averaged 19.8 points, 11.6 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.2 steals in five games with the Aces, who currently have a 3-2 record in the halted conference.
He helped Alaska win its first two games, beating NorthPort and San Miguel Beer before dropping the next two to Barangay Ginebra and TNT.
But the Aces rebounded by walloping the Bossing to put themselves in the middle of the pack.
Alaska, however, suffered a setback at the start of the calendar year when big man Rodney Brondial opted to become an unrestricted free agent and signed with San Miguel.
Brondial was in the middle of the best season of his career when he opted to make a move after his contract expired last Dec. 31.