CALVIN Abueva and his antics have finally found a home at the Titan Ultra Giant Risers.
Even after being hobbled by a hamstring injury that prevented him from playing a game for the new PBA ballclub, Abueva is up there among the statistical leaders in the PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup eliminations.
The 37-year-old pride of Angeles City is averaging in double-double figures for his new team with 22.4 points and 10.2 rebounds a game, trailing only Blackwater sophomore Sedrick Barefield’s 23.8 points on the scoring list.
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So, what is the secret behind Abueva’s impressive career resurgence? We asked Titan’s team owner Bryann Calantoc.
“It’s simple, we just unleash ‘The Beast.' We told our coaching staff, just let Calvin be Calvin,” said the soft-spoken Pureblends Corporation president of .
Calantoc told SPIN.ph that there are moments in the game when Abueva would always look at the bench to check if he is going overboard, this after committing physicality in the game.
“But we would always tell him, ‘Sige lang. sige lang, do your thing’, and it has been doing wonders,” he said while reenacting the scene by waving his hand.
“Calvin is known for his physical style of play, which we believe fuels his intensity during games. This conclusion isn't just a guess; it's supported by our research into how he plays. Pansinin nyo, paghinayaan siya, lalo siya ginaganahan,” said Calantoc.
The 36-year-old team executive stressed that based on their evaluation of Abueva’s previous seasons in the league with Alaska, Phoenix, Magnolia and NorthPort, his game tends to decline when there is a ‘leash on his neck’.
“Calvin is indeed a beast. You suppress his game if you give him boundaries. And based on his first four games with us, he has the capacity to control his self naman during the game. Para kasing may teenage angst pa rin si Abueva, nag-iiba ang laro pag kinontrol mo,” he said.
“So, we just let him be himself. And I hope this will bring more good results for us and for himself. Since college, alam naman natin na ganyan na ang laro ni Calvin, so why would we let him play a role na hindi siya?
"That would be unfair to him and for his game,” said Calantoc.
Given the freedom to do what he does best, Abueva, the coaching staff swears, has been one of the most hard-working and dedicated players in practice.
“He does extra practice, he goes to Victoria Sports (practice venue) early, he wants to play even during the team when he was injured. He wanted to play nga against Magnolia, remember? Kaso di na talaga siya pinayagan ng mga duktor kasi hamstring injury yun eh,” he said.
“Iba ang attitude ni Calvin, he is so enamored with the game,” added Calantoc.
Titan team manager Aldrianne Anglim stressed that though they have given Abueva the license to be physical, he rarely got into trouble except for one game which he sat out where he was hit with a technical for complaining.
“Once pa lang siya na-fine. Hindi pa siya naglalaro. Yung nagreklamo siya sa game nun against Magnolia. Injured siya. Bukod dun, wala naman siyang 'extra-curricular' sa laro that could merit a fine,” said Anglim.
The Titan official said Abueva's hustle and hard work makes the game easier for teammates.
Over Titan’s last few games, the 2013 PBA Rookie of the Year has been developing a bond with Fran Yu and Joshua Munzon, who is also part of the Top 5 of the PBA 50th Philippine Cup elimination round scoring leaders.
Even Titan’s liaison and player coordinator Rochelle Esguerra shared how Abueva would be the most disciplined in the team during practices, encouraging his teammates to go the extra mile while leading by example.
“He urges his teammates to go to the gym tapos siya ang leader talaga during practice. He encourages the team to go hard in practice and even more during the game,” she said.
“Siya rin ang number one cheerleader ng team sa bench during games, if you notice. Kahit sa pagkain, siya pa mismo tumutulong sa 'min to distribute the food packs during practices,” said Esguerra.
Before Titan took over the NorthPort franchise in the PBA, Esguerra revealed she only knew about Abueva's antics and shenanigans. But the executive assistant to the Titan president shared she has found Abueva to be a nice person off the court.
“Calvin is very supportive sa campaign namin especially in marketing our product. Lagi siyang willing to take part in promoting Titan Ultra and in fact, he regularly takes them as added energy daw sa game. Sinasabi nya yun sa mga live at reels nya kahit hindi namin inuutos,” she said.
'Beast' in his best behavior - so far
Of course, there were instances in the past when 'The Beast' had worn out his welcome in his PBA ballclub. But so far, the Titan organization likes what it sees in its top player.
“I think, Calvin is one player na we cannot judge based on what we read about him. He’s truly special and a different animal. Napakabait ni Calvin, Ibang-iba siya sa mga nababasa ko before at nakikita sa socmed,” said Esguerra.
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