09/13/2008MANILA, Philippines
– Reigning Philippine Basketball Associaion (PBA) Fiesta Cup champion Barangay Ginebra is confident a healthy Jayjay Helterbrand will suit up for the team when it begins its 2008-09 season two weeks from now.Coach Jong Uichico said the sleek-moving guard, adjudged the season-ending conference’s best player, should have fully recovered from the injury he suffered in the finals by the time the league opens the Philippine Cup on October 4.“He (Helterbrand) should be healthy by then," said Uichico.The six-foot-two Helterbrand suffered a delicate hamstring injury in Game 2 of the Kings’ title series with the Air21 Express.He failed to suit up the rest of the Finals, although the Kings went on to win the championship in seven games.Uichico recently expressed interest in having Air21 guard Wynne Arboleda to shore up the Ginebra backcourt.But he clarified that the team is not going after the former Manuel L. Quezon University standout, suggesting that the Express playmaker should be the one to personally offer himself if he’s willing to play for the Kings.