By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
Arellano Chiefs superstar big man Justin Arana made a surprising NCAA Season 97 return despite being stretchered out of the playing venue due to a right knee injury in their 65-63 win against the San Sebastian Golden Stags.
What was initially diagnosed as a partial acute anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear with anterior horn lateral meniscal tear was reverted to just an ACL sprain after Arana decided to consult for a second opinion.
After getting clearance to play, Arana immediately suited up for the Chiefs in their game against the rolling Saint Benilde Blazers.
Despite the 76-71 loss, it was still a good sign for Arellano seeing their superstar big man return to the playing court and still produce his usual numbers.
Arana contributed 14 points and 11 rebounds under playing time restriction where he would only grace the court for 22 minutes.
“Yun din yung inaano nung doktor na kung pwede bawasan raw daw konti yung minutes ko dahil nga sa tuhod ko. Kailangan ko pa kasing mag-rehab and strengthening eh,” said Arana after the game.
For Blazers head coach Charles Tiu, his whole game plan was to stop the efficiency of Arana who he thinks is the best big man in the NCAA right now.
“The guy is playing on one knee and still, what, getting a double-double? And he’s playing well. We wanted to make him work as much as we can, but you can’t really stop a guy like that,” said Tiu.
The hard-earned victory against Arana and the Chiefs helped St. Benilde notch their second-straight win in the NCAA.
