Luis Villegas, a sophomore, is having a difficult season following his second consecutive ACL surgery.

Villegas acknowledged this setback and thanked Rain or Shine management and the entire team for supporting him and showing patience throughout these extremely difficult moments.

The knee that was operated on prior to his professional career was recently repaired by the No. 3 overall choice in the Season 48 draft.

Only a week after the procedure, Villegas appeared in a walking booth for Rain or Shine’s 2024 PBA Commissioner’s Cup final matchup versus Terrafirma.

Although he stated that the booth might be removed, he is keeping it in place as a safety precaution.

Along with guard Gian Mamuyac, who is recuperating from a fractured hand, Villegas is one of two important Rain or Shine players on the injured list.
However, Villegas’ situation is long-term, whereas Mamuyac, 25, can be reactivated by late January or February.

When the 6-foot-8 center played for the Elasto Painters in the season-opening Governors’ Cup, it appeared that he had fully recovered from his initial ACL procedure.

However, he occasionally experienced pain in the same knee, so the team decided to have him checked out once more. After that, the doctors advised that he have reconstructive surgery.

Rain or Shine is winning four games in a row to finish the year in solo second place in the rankings moving into the new year, but they are also having a fantastic campaign while they wait for their prized superstar to recuperate.

And that’s one situation that, despite his current state, keeps Villegas optimistic.
Luis, get well in the new year.

Meanwhile, in the PBA’s all-time consecutive games played this month, Mark Barroca subtly rose in the standings.

After Magnolia’s game against Barangay Ginebra on Christmas Day 2024, Barroca has now played 598 consecutive games in his career, according to PBA statistics chief Fidel Mangonon.

In fact, on December 20, Barroca surpassed four-time PBA MVP and Magnolia team manager Alvin Patrimonio (596), moving up to second place in the PBA’s tally of consecutive games.

The 38-year-old Barroca actually clashed with Calvin Abueva at the end of the game in the matchup against NLEX, which Magnolia won 99-95 in overtime. After colliding with his partner and losing his breath, Barroca lay on the ground for several minutes.

However, in keeping with his reputation as the PBA’s “Ironman” among the current roster, Barroca participated in the game on Christmas Day, even though it ended in a defeat as Barangay Ginebra won 95-92 thanks to a game-winning three from Scottie Thompson.

Barroca still has a lot of work to do to surpass Ginebra guard LA Tenorio, who leads the record with 744 games played in a row. This run was broken in March 2023.
How Barroca keeps moving forward at this pace is no longer a secret, and he has no intention of slowing down.