Sidelined Scottie Thompson is still doing everything he could for the national team.
Gilas Pilipinas couldn't catch a break.
Already handicapped with a limited pool, the injury bug continues to haunt the national team with Scottie Thompson suffering a hand injury. It remains unknown if Thompson will recover in time to rejoin the national team for the FIBA World Cup.
Despite the heart-shattering development, Thompson remains upbeat. Coach Chot Reyes even praised the PBA MVP's leadership through the concerning predicament.
"Talk about just being a real leader, I think Scottie has continued to stand up and show his leadership in that sense," Reyes told One Sports' Carlo Pamintuan.
"A lot of this is about role modeling. If you see the guy who’s most affected staying positive and upbeat as well, then obviously it affects and infects everybody else."
Reyes admitted how Gilas took a huge blow with Thompson's injury since the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel is an integral part of the national team's plans.
"We acknowledge Scottie is a very big piece of what we do, but we need to move forward."
Gilas has no choice but to wade through, and the team's mindset will be key.
"I think as you’ve seen in today’s practice, everyone was very upbeat. Everyone has remained and continues to stay positive," he said.
"We talked about it as a team. I’ve learned that when you give players a chance to voice and air out what they’re thinking, what they’re feeling it goes a long way towards dissipating that negative energy."