CALVIN Oftana had little time to rest since arriving on Tuesday from Gilas Pilipinas' hectic campaign overseas straight to TNT's buildup for the PBA 49th Season Commissioner’s Cup semifinals against Rain or Shine.
Despite the tiring trip from Auckland to Manila, Oftana had an impressive shooting night in Game 1 where he hit 6 of 8 from threes on his way to finishing with 22 points to help the Tropang Giga defeat Rain or Shine, 88-84.
“Wala pang tulog,” said Oftana. “Jetlag pa rin... Pero ganun talaga. Siyempre, mahal ko ‘yung basketball. Kailangan ko rin gampanan ‘yung trabaho ko sa Talk ‘N Text.”
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Oftana said the Gilas delegation arrived early Tuesday morning, and he headed to TNT practice at the Moro Lorenzo Sports Complex after a quick rest.
“Dumating kami ala-una [ng umaga]. Nakauwi na ako ng bahay ng 2:30 na. Nag-practice pa rin ako. Practice ng 9, umalis ako ng bahay ng 7. Derecho practice,” said Oftana on what his Tuesday like.
It was Oftana’s first appearance in TNT’s preparation for the semifinals against Rain or Shine due to Gilas duty. Oftana said his knowledge of TNT’s system as well as communications within the team through their Viber group chat kept him up to speed with the preparation.
“Ilang taon na ako sa Talk ‘N Text. Small adjustment naman ‘yung gagawin. Alam ko naman ‘yung sistema namin. Hindi naman sia nagkulang na mag-update sa Viber namin. Sine-send naman ‘yung kung ano ‘yung adjustment namin para sa laro,” said Oftana.
Oftana and the rest of Gilas had a grueling schedule in the FIBA, playing three friendlies in a pocket tournament in Doha before plunging into action in the Asia Cup qualifiers against Chinese Taipei and New Zealand on the road.
Apparently, that whirlwind trip prepared him to play with little rest for the semifinal opener against RoS on Wednesday.
“Nasanay na rin, kasi nga ‘yung travel namin, 7 hours, 11 hours na travel tapos training agad. Parang nasanay na rin ‘yung katawan ko eh,” said Oftana.
The TNT gunner had 12 points right in the second quarter, enabling the Tropang Giga to gain a 51-47 halftime lead over the Elasto Painters that they protected until the end.
After the victory, Oftana's fondest wish is for a good night sleep before joining TNT's preparations for Game 2 against Rain or Shine on Friday.
“Hopefully, makatulong ng maayos ngayon para makapag-ensayo bukas for the next game,” the 29-year-old said.
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