Injured Holt hopeful to play on Saturday
TERRAFIRMA badly missed the presence of top rookie pick Stephen Holt in the Dyip’s 94-78 loss to Phoenix in Wednesday’s PBA Philippine Cup match at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig City.
The 6-foot-4 Holt was in civilian clothes and watched the game from the sidelines.
The Filipino American guard’s representative Marvin Espiritu explained that the former Saint Mary’s standout had tightness on his back, the reason why he didn’t see action.
“His back tightened so he opted to rest it as a precautionary measure,” Espiritu told The Manila Times. “The team definitely missed his leadership.”
Holt, who played pro basketball overseas for 10 years, including stints in Europe, averaged all-around numbers of 22.7 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 5.0 assists, while playing 38 minutes per game in the ongoing tournament.
Without the rookie, the Dyip got badly beaten off the boards by the Fuel Masters 54-41 while their turnoverplagued performance netted Phoenix a massive 21-7 edge in turnover points.
Terrafirma dropped to an even 2-2 win-loss record.
Holt’s absence left Javi Gomez de Liano and Juami Tiongon to carry much of the scoring burden as both players combined to score 34 points.
Espiritu said with a few days of rest, Holt will hopefully be back in time for Terrafirma’s game this Saturday against Blackwater as the PBA plays at the historic Rizal Memorial Coliseum for the first time in many decades.
“Yes, Stephen will try to be back in the game this Saturday. He just needs to rest his back,” said Espiritu.