CALVIN Abueva vowed to do even better following a successful PBA comeback last season.
The Phoenix forward admitted he was just reaching peak form when Phoenix’s campaign was cut short during the Philippine Cup semifinals inside the Clark bubble.
“Yung nilaro ko, bitin e,” he said on a rainy, lazy Wednesday.
Despite that, the 32-year-old native of Angeles City did well enough to be in contention for three major awards by season’s end, including the Best Player of the Conference plum.
‘The Beast’ finished second to Ray Parks in the players’ statistical points standings as he averaged 15.4 points, 11.3 rebounds, 5.2 assists, and 1.7 steals for the Fuel Masters from the eliminations all the way to the playoffs.
The eccentric forward was one of only two players apart from NorthPort’s Christian Standhardinger, to finish in double figures in both scoring and rebounding.
The figures of course, were impressive enough considering Abueva was coming off a 16-month layoff and didn’t play his first game with the Fuel Masters until halfway through in the eliminations.
And so it was to his surprise that he still managed to contend for major awards at season’s end.
“Hindi ko rin ini-expect yun kasi parang kulang pa yung nilaro ko. Pero yun ang ibinigay ni God,” Abueva said.
The BPC nomination was a big shock to him, and so was his inclusion in the list of players contending for the Sportsmanship Award.
“Nagulat din ako doon,” said the Phoenix bruiser.
Eventually, Abueva settled for a place in the Elite Five, similar to the Mythical Team selection the PBA hands out on a regular basis and to which Abueva has been named twice before in 2013 and 2016.
He admitted feeling anxious during the PBA Special Awards Night as he didn’t know what to exactly expect.
“Sobrang kabado ako kasi tatlong nominations ako. Hindi ko alam kung may makukuha ba ako o wala,” he said.
With Abueva back in harness, Phoenix got as far as Game Five of the semifinals against TnT. He was later rewarded by Phoenix management with a three-year max contract.
Ever grateful, the reformed player vowed to repay the trust given him by the team.
“Nag-pray lang ako para ma-improve ko pa yung career ko at maipakita ko pa yung best ko sa mga darating na seasons,” he said.
Way to go, ‘The Beast.’
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