JP Erram suffers ankle injury during Gilas practice

John Paul Erram of the NLEX Road Warriors suffered an ankle injury during Gilas Pilipinas’ scrimmage for the FIBA World Cup today at the Meralco Gym in Ortigas, Pasig City.

During the tail end of practice, the former Ateneo Blue Eagle tried to a putback before landing awkwardly. He then fell onto the floor while holding his right ankle. He did not return to the five-on-five scrimmage as the team’s therapist immediately iced his injured ankle. There is no word yet about the severity of Erram’s injury.

But this will be a big blow to Gilas’ hopes as Marcio Lassiter, Stanley Pringle, and Gabe Norwood are also nursing injuries. Lassiter will not suit up for the Philippine men’s basketball team in China while Pringle and Norwood would still have a week and a half to recover before the team’s opener against Italy. Losing him would shorten Coach Yeng Guiao’s front court rotation even further.

Erram normed 2.2 points and 2.4 rebounds in five FIBA World Cup Asian qualifiers matches. A five-point outing in their win against Congo was his best performance during the Torneo de Malaga mini-tournament in Spain.

(Photo credit: Tiebreaker Times)