MANILA, Philippines – The injury bug continues to bite Gilas Pilipinas.

Poy Erram and Matthew Wright both failed to finish the Filipinos’ practice session on Monday, August 19, and were listed as day-to-day after suffering different kinds of foot injuries. 

According to team physical therapist Dex Aseron, Erram fell to a right ankle sprain following a bad landing during the five-on-five scrimmage, while Wright sustained a right peroneal tendon strain during the halfcourt drills. 

That was only an initial diagnosis, though, as the two players will undergo tests to determine their exact injuries. 

“It’s not a high ankle injury so there’s nothing serious about it. I’ll check tomorrow what I can do,” Erram told reporters in Filipino as he iced his foot.

National team head coach Yeng Guiao also did not express concern for Erram, but admitted to be worried for Wright. 

“I wasn’t able to talk to Matthew but according to the trainer, he’s day-to-day. We’ll have tests for him tomorrow and then we’ll know what exactly what the problem is. Hopefully, he’s okay,” Guiao said.

With Marcio Lassiter already out due to a left knee injury, the Philippine team could not afford losing more players as the FIBA World Cup is set to kick off in less than two weeks on August 31. 

Gilas will also need to have everyone on board when it tangles with the Adelaide 36ers for back-to-back tuneup games on August 23 and 25. – Rappler.com