The TNT Tropang 5G and Blackwater Bossing cruised to impressive PBA Season 50 debuts, and they did so while sitting out key players—Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser and Jordan Heading for TNT and Sedrick Barefield for Blackwater.
Ganuelas-Rosser and Barefield are nursing injuries, while Heading evidently went down with a bad case of flu. Even so, it appears TNT and Blackwater fans don’t have to worry about these players getting sidelined longer as the Bossing and Tropa are just being cautious.
Sedrick Barefield Could’ve Played
In the case of Sedrick Barefield, he could’ve actually played against the Terrafirma Dyip, according to Blackwater head coach Jeffrey Cariaso. In fact, he was in uniform on Friday and ready to go even with the right shoulder injury he sustained when the Bossing played in a pocket tourney in Davao a couple of months back.
“He’s still nursing a shoulder injury. Nangyari ‘yun nung nasa Davao kami. He got screened, he hurt it, but he still was able to play through the last game in Davao. Pagbalik namin, his practice was very minimal, he was more focused on his rehab. We thought he was gonna be ready for tonight, but he’s not 100%, so we just wanted to be sure before he comes back. As you noticed, nakabihis naman siya, so ready siya to go… Sabi ko sa kaniya, ‘I will try not to play you, but if I need you I’ll call your name.’”
It turns out, Cariaso and the Bossing didn’t need Sedrick Barefield against Terrafirma, as Christian David, RK Ilagan, and Dalph Panopio proved too much already.
Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser Is Day-to-Day, Jordan Heading Felled by Flu
TNT’s Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser, on the other hand, is “day-to-day,” according to Tropang 5G head coach Chot Reyes, who is preaching the same cautious approach with his prized big man.
“Actually, kung pipilitin talaga, kaya naman ni Brandon. But then he had a slight strain doon sa Abu Dhabi. So, we felt it was best for us to give him more days to recover,” he told reporters after TNT’s opening-night win against the Phoenix Fuel Masters on Friday.
Reyes then shared that Jordan Heading was looking superb in practice for TNT, only to be felled by the flu a couple of days prior to TNT’s PBA Season 50 debut. Heading tried to give it a go on Friday morning, according to Reyes, but was having trouble breathing, leaving the Tropang 5G staff to hold him out against Phoenix.
All three of Sedrick Barefield, Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser, and Jordan Heading might be good to go the next time their teams take the floor, with Blackwater’s next game on October 15 (vs. Meralco Bolts) and TNT’s next assignment also on that same day (vs. Barangay Ginebra San Miguel).
