ALASKA management has one major advice to star rookie Calvin Abueva – just keep your cool, kid.
Team manager Joaqui Trillo said the Aces have not been remised in reminding the energetic 6-foot-1 power forward to take everything in stride in the wake of what they perceived have been growing moves around the PBA to distract the talented freshman by playing a physical game on him.
“We just told him to keep his calm, and he’s been doing that so far,” said Trillo in an interview Sunday prior to the Aces’ Philippine Cup game against Barangay Ginebra which Abueva missed out.
The former NCAA Most Valuable Player was confined at the Cardinal Santos Hospital since Saturday for nasal infection with complication on his tonsillitis that was aggravated when Abueva was hit square in the face by Air21’s Rob Reyes.
Trillo admitted on national tv that the nasal infection was `triggered by the punch made by Rob Reyes.’
Reyes had since been slapped with a flagrant foul penalty 1 and fined P10,000 by commissioner Chito Salud.
“Everybody seemed to be bullying him (Abueva),” said Trillo. “But we just keep on reminding him to always stay calm.”
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