Coach Chito Victolero has been keeping an eye on the games of Michael Calisaan since his college days with the San Sebastian College Stags in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) men’s basketball tournament.
In his last stint with the Stags, the 6’4” Calisaan averaged 14.1 points, 9.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists and a steal.
Calisaan’s final year with the Stags has left an impression with Victolero especially now that the Magnolia Hotshots have taken him in during the recent rookie draft of the Philippine Basketball Association.
“Sinusundan ko ang laro ni Michael. I think babagay siya sa sistema namin,” said Victolero.
Victolero talked about Calisaan’s game and his coming stint with the Hotshots after Magnolia captured the 2018 PBA Governors’ Cup title by beating the Alaska Aces 102-86 in Game 6 at the Ynares Sports Center.
Calisaan is known for his big contributions in the Stags’ physical game.
Victolero said the Magnolia Hotshots will have little time to rest before they start their campaign in the All Filipino Conference, which gets going on Jan. 13.
And they will get to see how well Calisaan fits in when they start practices on Jan. 10.
Calisaan, the 10th overall pick in this year’s draft, will be around to add size and energy to their frontline.
The Hotshots finished with a 4-2 win-loss in the best-of-seven affair with the Aces.
In the coming conference, the 32-year-old Marc Barroca is again expected to lead the team along with Paul Lee and Jio Jalalon
The team is upbeat with the return of Marc Pingris.
The 37-year-old Pingris, who is nine-time PBA champion, will be back after undergoing surgery last March to repair a torn ACL.