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Rain or Shine head coach Yeng Guiao fears import Aaron Fuller sustained a serious injury after getting his left eye poked in a 52-point loss to Magnolia in the PBA Governors’ Cup quarterfinals
LAGUNA, Philippines – Rain or Shine head coach Yeng Guiao is much more concerned with the health of Aaron Fuller than the Elasto Painters’ worst loss in franchise history.
Guiao fears Fuller sustained a serious injury after getting his left eye poked in the first quarter of their 121-69 loss to Magnolia on Friday, September 27, that allowed the Hotshots to tie their PBA Governors’ Cup quarterfinals at 1-1.
The incident happened with just 30 seconds remaining in the opening period during a post play wherein Fuller was guarding Magnolia big man Ian Sangalang.
His hands flailing after being fouled by Fuller, Sangalang poked the eye of the NLEX import, who immediately left the court and never returned.
The Elasto Painters trailed just 23-32 by the time Fuller exited and the Hotshots capitalized on his absence as they pulled away in the second quarter to build a 66-28 lead en route to the most lopsided win this conference.
“I think the more important thing for us is the condition of Aaron because that will be important for us moving forward,” said Guiao in a mix of Filipino and English.
“When we talked to Aaron, he said that the finger really went inside his eyes. Up to the time that he was being brought to the hospital, he cannot see with his left eye.”
Guiao said the incident warrants “further investigation” from the PBA, believing that Sangalang deliberately tried to hurt Fuller.
“We watched the video and I think it was intentional,” said Guiao. “Let us see what the PBA is going to do about it.”
Losing Fuller would be a huge blow for Rain or Shine considering he has been a terrific presence down low, consistently putting up 20-20 performances.
Fuller showed the way in the Elasto Painters’ 109-105 Game 1 win with 24 points and 20 rebounds.
“We might have to play without an import. It is hard to find another import that fast,” said Guiao as Rain or Shine hopes to regain control of the series in Game 3 on Sunday, September 29, at the Ynares Center in Antipolo. – Rappler.com
