With more than two weeks of rest behind him, College of St. Benilde forward Justin Gutang is expected to be back to help the Blazers stay in the thick of their fight to remain in the lead.
Gutang may return when the Blazers meet the Arellano University Chiefs at 4 p.m. today at the FilOil-Flying V Sports Center in San Juan and when they seek their fifth straight win.
Earlier, the Arellano Braves (5-1) will try to seize the solo lead when they clash with the La Salle Greenhills Greenies at 12 noon.
The 6’3” Gutang suffered an injury to his left knee in their game against the Mapua University three weeks ago.
The team has enjoyed enough rest following the cancellations of matches due to bad weather.
A prized find from Burlingame, California, Gutang is averaging 12.7 points and 10.3 rebounds per game in three matches.
The Blazers already missed Gutang in their come-from-behind 77-72 triumph over San Sebastian College, allowing them to hike their record to 4-0.
With Gutang back, CSB can spread out its offense as five players are capable of coming up with double-digit outputs.
The Blazers can turn to Unique Naboa, who had 15 points the last time around. Also capable of contributing are Chris Flores, Clement Leutcheu, Jimboy Pasturan and Yankie Haruna, who is on his second game back since suffering from a broken jaw last summer.
“We want to play hard and try to sustain our efforts on the defensive end. But on the offensive end, we want to make sure that everybody can contribute,” said coach TY Tang.
The Chiefs hold a 1-5 slate.