Hard work in training has a great impact and a big help in winning a basketball game. That’s how Rain or Shine athletes Norwood and Nambatac demonstrate when they are injured all while fighting to win.
Nambatac really was injured with muscle cramps, meanwhile Norwood underwent four stitches in his hip just after a bizarre mishap during training at the Ynares Center in Antipolo the other week.
As an outcome, the two were already dressed in regular clothes and sat on the bench as the Elasto Painters were defeated by Barangay Ginebra, 90 to 85, in the season opener.
“Hopefully, I’ll be able to go on Sunday. I just had a freak accident in practice resulting in stitches along my hip. So I should get those out tomorrow (Thursday),” Norwood asserted.
“We’ll see. But I think I should be good to go on Sunday.” This is a confident and very positive assertion. And with fingers crossed, surely, we’ll see.
Nambatac’s position remains day-to-day, but he’s really crossing his fingers that he’ll just be eventually cleared to play on Sunday, which is something that he clearly describes more as a “must-win” for the squad this season.
The two actually haven’t widely practiced at all with the Elasto Painters in these few days straight.
And according to the two guards, types of injuries are really a completely normal part of the work.
“Kahit anong ingat mo, hindi maiiwasan talaga na ma-injury, e. Pero thankful na rin dahil minor lang yung injury namin,” [No matter how careful you are, it is really inevitable to be injured, e. But I’m also thankful because our injury is only minor] Nambatac stated clearly.