IT’S exactly the reason why Magnolia brought in Calvin Abueva in the first place.
The hustle, energy, and other intangibles ‘The Beast’ bring to the table were more than enough for the Hotshots to take a gamble on him in a trade in the offseason.
Now, the team is reaping the fruits of the risky off-season move as Magnolia moves a win away from returning to the PBA Philippine Cup semis.
On the day the Hotshots scored an 81-70 win over the Rain or Shine Elastopainters in Game 1 of their quarterfinals series at the Don Honorio Ventura State University gym, Abueva was also named the frontrunner in a tight race for the Best Player of the Conference award.
Abueva leads BPC race
The eccentric forward is currently on top with statistical points of 35.36, just ahead of young guns Mikey Williams (35.30), the TnT rookie guard, and Robert Bolick of NorthPort (35.27).
Coach Chito Victolero said he was hardly surprised seeing the one-time NCAA MVP out of San Sebastian leading the way as Abueva has been among the major reasons why the Hotshots are so far successful in their campaign.
“Very consistent siya on both ends of the floor, energy and the hustle. Not only sa rebounds and score, but other aspects ng stats like the 50-50 ball, and everything. So kung madadagdag siguro yun, ang laking bagay sa stats niya,” Victolero noted.
The Magnolia coach stood witness to what Abueva did for Phoenix last year when he led the Fuel Masters in eliminating the Hotshots in the quarterfinals of the Clark bubble.
The 33-year-old native of Angeles, Pampanga even emerged among the top contenders for the Best Player of the Conference award last season that convinced Victolero to seek a trade for him no matter the risks involved.
“Last year naman alam natin gaano kaganda yung nilaro ni Calvin, and tinutuloy niya lang ngayong season,” said Victolero.
And should Abueva end up running away with his first BPC award in the last five years – or since the 2016 Commissioner’s Cup while still with Alaska – his Magnolia coach wouldn’t besurprised.
“Calvin plays hard, at ang gusto niya lang naman ay magkaroon ng tsansa sa dulo,” said Victolero. “So kung sakaling mabigay sa kanya yung blessing na yun, deserving naman si Calvin.”
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