Not even a recent injury that sidelined him for three months will prevent Meralco's Cliff Hodge from at least toning down his reputation as a player who has a knack for doing the dirty work.
Hodge had eight points and six rebounds in nearly 19 minutes in his first game of the PBA Philippine Cup but it was enough to help the Bolts snap a three-game skid with a 105-76 rout of the Kia Picanto Wednesday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Though admitting that he's still far from being in game shape, Hodge, who was sidelined for three months with bone spurs in his foot, remains eager to accept the role as the Bolts' resident energizer bunny.
"It's going to be sore but as long as I can run up-and-down the court, I'm going to play as hard as I can," Hodge said.
His season debut came early as expected as Hodge had expected to make his return in mid-February, albeit on a minutes restriction.
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"Probably no more than 20-25 minutes I think until I'm 100 percent," Hodge said. "Right now, I'm supposed to be out for 2-3 more weeks but I just go along as it goes. Hopefully I feel better after every practice and every game."
The victory enabled Meralco avoid falling into a deep hole halfway in the elimination round. The Bolts are in a logjam for sixth to 11th places as of Thursday with a 2-3 record, keeping themselves in contention for a spot in the eight-team playoffs.
"I'm not 100 percent but I mean, I can go out there on defense. I just decided to come back and try to do whatever I can for my team," he said.(JT)
