Cabagnot defies nose injury to seize Player of the Week award

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By Patrick Sutare

MANILA—Last December, just before the year ended, Alex Cabagnot suffered a blow on his face that had his nose needing a surgery.

Albeit his team bagged the W against Meralco, the extent of the injury appeared to be something the ‘’Crunch man’’ would not have wanted to cap the year.

Based on reports, a surgery might sideline him for the rest of the conference, or worse, the start of the next conference- something that will not just affect the flow of his stellar campaign in the Best Player race, but will also be a big blow to his team who has its own campaign of defending the All-Filipino plum.

Knowing his worth as a playmaker and a go-to scorer for the Beermen, Cabagnot decided to defer the surgery and continue helping his team in further improving its first-rate record so far in the tourney.

“Well, I told him we are not forcing him to play. But he is the one insisting e,” said San Miguel coach Leo Austria. “Alex kasi is talagang obsessed sa kanyang conditioning. I’m happy for him because he knows the importance of this tournament for us, and we have a title to defend.”

On the first week of 2017, Cabagnot immediately made his presence felt despite wearing a mask serving as a protective gear for his injury.

He flirted with a double-double in SMB’s lopsided victory versus Blackwater, tallying 14 points and nine rebounds.

He stole the show on Sunday where the Beermen nipped Ginebra on a 72-70 escape victory. He top scored his squad with 16 markers, making him average 15.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists as San Miguel went unscathed for the week to inch closer from capturing the twice-to-beat advantage going to the quarterfinals.

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