TO say that the road to Mark Denver Omega's PBA debut was long and winding may be an understatement.
The 25-year-old Omega was picked in the second round at No. 20 overall by Rain or Shine in the Season 50 Draft last September, but didn't immediately play in the pro league as he had to finish his commitments with Letran in the NCAA.
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Omega, however, never wore a Rain or Shine jersey as he was shipped to Converge in an October trade while still playing for the Knights in college.
His time with Converge, however, lasted only four months before he was traded to Titan Ultra as part of the Calvin Abueva megadeal that also involved King Caralipio and Rey Suerte.
Omega never play a single game for Converge. Worse, he ended up losing financially as he was fined P20,000 when he was seen doing a ‘cooking’ gesture while on the bench along with Justine Baltazar and FiberXers deputy coach Humperdink Dimatulac.
Six months since being drafted, Omega finally made his PBA debut in his third team Titan Ultra on March 11 during the opening of the 50th Season Commissioner's Cup.
Omega admitted he was initially saddened by the trades, but feels like he has found a home at Titan Ultra.
“Siyempre, malungkot. Akala ko mag-stay na ako sa Converge. Gayun pa man, masaya pa rin ako. Siguro may plano si Lord para sa akin,” said Omega.
On the P20,000 fine, Omega said: “Nagulat ako doon kasi hindi ko alam yung protocol sa PBA. Nakikipag-asaran ako sa coach ko sa Converge. Siguro nakita yung cooking. Tinawagan ako ni Kume, pinagalitan ako. Nag-sorry naman ako.”
Omega is getting his playing time with Titan Ultra. On Wednesday, Omega may have played for only 11 minutes but had four points, five rebounds, and one steal while also taking on the task of guarding Blackwater's heavy-set import Robert Upshaw III.
“Yun ang madadala ko sa Titan, mga import ang babantayan ko, malalaki na,” said the 6-foot-5 Omega. “Hindi katulad nung college na kasing height ko lang. Ngayon, import na. Kailangan ko pa trabahuin pa.”
“Medyo masakit,” said Omega on Wednesday after Titan Ultra's 102-98 win over Blackwater, when asked about guarding Upshaw.
“Sabi nga ni coach Rensy [Bajar], kailangan naming mag-sacrifice. Walang kasing laki ni Upshaw sa amin. Kailangan namin talaga ibuhos yung 100 percent dito. Kailangan naming manalo. Binigay ko lang yung 100 percent ko kahit foul trouble.”
Omega also has a lot of former Letran teammates on the Titan Ultra roster including those that played with the Knights while he was doing residency due to his transfer from Perpetual Help.
“Dalawang Beda lang yata,” said Omega in jest. “Mga kilala ko yun, mga kuya ko, naabutan ko pa sa NCAA.”
“Good thing na napunta rin ako dito. Mas magagamit ako dito kasi Converge, malalaki. Sabi nga rin ni Coach Danny (Ildefonso, mabuti) na-trade ako kasi kung doon, limitado lang minutes ko, off the bench lang ako. Okay naman ako dito,” Omega said.
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