MANILA, Philippines - Greg Slaughter, recovering from surgery in his right ankle, said yesterday he hopes to be back in action for Barangay Ginebra before the PBA Governors Cup elimination round ends and it could mean playing in the team’s last three games against Mahindra on Sept. 9, Phoenix on Sept. 14 and TNT Katropa on Sept. 18.
Slaughter, 28, underwent arthroscopic surgery last May 27 with Dr. George Canlas clearing his right ankle of debris and adhesions. It was a long-overdue procedure that struck the 7-foot center out of the Gilas lineup for the recent FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament. Slaughter, however, said if another opportunity comes to play for Gilas, he’ll enlist in a heartbeat.
“My injury actually started with a hip problem years ago,” said Slaughter. “I didn’t pay attention to it until it began to affect different parts of my body. It came to a point that whenever I ran, there was pain in my back, legs and ankles. Finally, I had the chance to put an end to it. I’m not allowed to do full agility training for 12 weeks so by my count, I should be ready to play in our last three elimination games. That’s assuming I’ll be able to practice a few weeks before coming back.”
Slaughter said with head coach Tim Cone at the Ginebra helm, the signs are clear that a turnaround is coming. In the eight conferences that Slaughter has played for Ginebra since turning pro in 2013-14, the team tried out Ato Agustin, Juno Sauler, Jeff Cariaso and Frankie Lim before landing Cone. Ginebra hasn’t qualified for the Final Four in the last seven conferences. The streak was nearly snapped in the last Philippine Cup but Ginebra lost an 84-83 decision to GlobalPort in the knockout quarterfinals. In that conference, Slaughter averaged 22.7 points and 14.5 rebounds to announce his ascent up the PBA’s hierarchy.
“It’s been frustrating that we haven’t been able to make it to the finals or even semifinals in the last seven conferences,” said Slaughter. “I’ve won championships at the collegiate level with UV (University of the Visayas) and Ateneo so I’m hoping to relive that experience with Ginebra. I’m learning a lot from coach Tim. Actually, it’s a blessing that I’ve played for multiple coaches because I’ve learned from all of them. We’re definitely moving forward with coach Tim and he’s put us on track to succeed.”
Slaughter said Ginebra import Justin Brownlee fits perfectly as a role model for the team’s never-say-die spirit. “Skill-wise and personality-wise, Justin is a great addition for us,” he said. “He’s got a positive attitude, he gets along with everybody. I’m not sure if too many people know what he went through to play in his first game. He flew in on a Thursday, went to practice despite the long flight from the East Coast. You could tell he was tired and dehydrated but still, he was in the gym. The next day, he practiced twice. Justin threw up on the floor. Then, on Saturday, he went out to play his first PBA game. Sure enough, he went down with cramps in his whole leg. He didn’t want to give up, kept going in and out of the game. That was the never-say-die spirit right there. He wanted badly to help us. But his body wasn’t up to it. He was so mad.”
Despite cramps, Brownlee finished with 31 points and 13 rebounds but Ginebra bowed to Alaska, 109-100, in overtime. As for Ginebra’s option to recruit an Asian import, Slaughter said it’s not his place to suggest whether or not to bring in a reinforcement for the Governors Cup. “I’m a player who’s expected to do my best with my teammates, whoever they are,” he said. “I’m not in a position to suggest if we should get an Asian import. That’s a decision for our coach to make.”
Slaughter said once he’s cleared to resume playing, there’s no stopping what he plans to do. “I’m really excited to play again,” he said. “I can’t wait to play without pain. If there’s a chance for me to play with Gilas in the future, I’d be honored to do it for our country. I’ve played for the national team twice before so I know the proud feeling of being a Gilas player.”
Slaughter said Ginebra’s never-say-die spirit is something unique to the team. “It’s a spirit that we can apply off the court, too,” he said. “We never give up on what we want to achieve. If you don’t quit, nobody will beat you. On the court, we give it our all. It’s what we owe our fans. We want our fans to be happy, to know we’ll ‘never-say-die’ for them.”
Slaughter said his parents are now in town, visiting from the US where they’re employed as health physicists with a specialization in nuclear power plants. His American father William and his Filipina mother Emma Fuentes met in Cebu and later married. When they retire, it’s likely his parents will settle in Cebu. Slaughter was born in Cleveland but was baptized in Cebu. He grew up in Virginia and enrolled a year at Virginia Commonwealth University, a Division I school, before deciding to play college basketball here in 2007.