Banged up and all, Chris Newsome still shows up, says coach

Chris Newsome during Gilas Pilipinas’ practice.–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines—Meralco coach Luigi Trillo saw firsthand just how dedicated Chris Newsome can be.

In a phone call with the Inquirer, Trillo bared that while he’s proud to see Newsome don the Gilas Pilipinas jersey once more in the 2027 Fiba World Cup Asian Qualifiers, he couldn’t help but be concerned for his star guard’s health.

“It’s such an honor to be on a national team and any player from your team will put country first and that’s okay… but the thing with New is, he can be on one leg and he’ll still play,” he said.

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“Look at his hands, his fingers aren’t sound. One of them dislocates every practice. No joke. He has to pull that finger back into place,” Trillo also revealed.

The 35-year-old Newsome came off a semifinals exit with the Bolts in the recently concluded Commissioner’s Cup.

Instead of recovering and preparing for the upcoming Governors’ Cup, though, Newsome went right back at it to train with the national team for the qualifiers.

The numbers may not say a lot.

Newsome barely played in Gilas’ 106-102 double overtime loss to New Zealand  on Friday and was rendered scoreless.

But the fact that he’s still considered a vital piece for Gilas says a lot about the veteran guard.

“I think it’s a double-edged sword because of the success we’ve had deep in the playoffs and he has that. He has no time to recover, no time to rest his body. Also, New’s older now. You see some of these other guys, they will sit. New’s right there from the start, though. He’s always there. That’s Newsome for you,” Trillo said.

“I wish I can tell him what to do sometimes, but he’s just remarkable. New’s very committed in those aspects.”

After Newsome’s Gilas duties that conclude on Monday against Australia, he will have just a few days of rest before going back into action again with Meralco for the Governors’ Cup.