Seven months is a long time. But the wait is almost over.
It’s been almost seven months since fans last saw Alyssa Valdez don the Creamline Cool Smashers colors in the PVL.
During that long stretch, Creamline fans have done nothing but wait and pray for the time The Phenom returns to the court to give them performances to remember night in and night out.
But the wait is almost over.
It seems they will see Valdez in action again when the PVL Invitational Conference unfurls on June 27 at the Filoil EcoOil Centre.
According to the former PVL MVP, she’s been training with the Cool Smashers for many weeks now.
But whether she’s in tip-top form or not is another matter altogether, especially since she’s coming off a knee injury.
“Unfortunately it’s not as easy din na makabalik right away. For seven months I haven’t been on the court so I’m taking it slow,” she said on One Sports' The Game on Tuesday.
“Advice sa ’kin ng doctors to take it slow. I’m always gonna get there, just trust the process. But I would say I’m fully recovered,” she added.
Valdez has sat out since December last year after suffering a right knee injury in Creamline's playoff game against the Chery Tiggo Crossovers in the 2022 Reinforced Conference, where the ladies in pink finished third.
But The Phenom made a rousing appearance in the Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia, where she scored the game-sealing attack against Singapore.
Complicating Valdez's recovery journey, though, is convincing her mind that she is ready to become the Alyssa Valdez everyone knows—assertive, ferocious, unshakeable. Valdez admitted it’s been tough to get the confidence back.
“Most definitely the hardest part is you always wanna accept the part that you got injured, so the level of play wouldn’t be the same right away when you left the court [before the injury],” she said.
While it will take time, there’s no doubt Valdez will regain her form that had the league teetering on its heels for many years.
“It will take time. Gradual lang. But I’m surrounded by phenomenal teammates, amazing teammates, great teammates, matured teammates, and champion teammates. They really help me to keep up also mentally, emotionally, and physically,” Valdez added.
The process might take a little more time, but it might be well worth the wait for Creamline and its fans.
(MDB)