TERRAFIRMA big man Isaac Go is out to make up for lost time.
After sitting out last season due to an ACL injury, the burly former Ateneo standout is slowly proving his worth for the Dyip in the PBA on Tour.
The 6-foot-7 Go, tabbed first overall in the 2019 special Gilas Pilipinas draft, notched 11 points and five rebounds in Terrafirma’s 107-102 victory over Meralco two days ago that hiked the Dyip’s card to 3-3 in the pro league exhibition series.
While still not 100 percent, Terrafirma coach Johnedel Cardel is convinced Go could emerge as a star in Asia’s first play-for-pay league.
“Iyong speed niya wala pa. But the talent is there, the shooting is there,” Cardel said. “Ang speed talaga niya at lakas ng katawan ang wala pa.
“Kapag nakuha niya iyon, I think Isaac will be a superstar in the PBA,” he added.
But Cardel said Go, 27, should trim down his 230-pound body to have a lasting career.
“Kailangan magbawas siya ng timbang. Kailangan maging solid siya kasi this is a physical game,” Cardel said.
“The PBA requires a physical game. Kapag mahina ang katawan mo dito, injuries would come. So, you have to prepare your body well.”
A Gilas Pilipinas national team training pool mainstay, Go has career averages of 4.6 points per game in only a total of eight games played so far in the PBA.
The Dyip have a pair of two first-round picks– including the top selection– in this year’s draft.
Cardel wants more fresh legs to combine with the likes of Go and guards Allen Mina and Javi Gomez de Liano as young pillars of the squad with two first round picks and as many second-round choices in the annual proceedings set Sept. 17.
Terrafirma wound up with a 3-31 record overall last season– including a winless campaign in the season-opening Philippine Cup.
