TWENTY seven year old Calvin Abueva is one of the most dominant players in the Philippine Basketball Association.
He has had a celebrated amateur career winning a Most Valuable Player award during Season 87 of the National Collegiate Association and setting a league standard in leading all the important statistical categories (points, rebounds and assists) during a single season in his senior year.
It’s surprising therefore to find out that he has never made it to any national basketball team.
That will soon be a thing of the past as the man known as The Beast brings his trademark hard work and perseverance to the ongoing tryouts for the Philippine team to the 2015 FIBA Asia to be held September in Changsha, Hunan, China.
Abueva was personally selected by national team head coach Tab Baldwin who has become a believer in his talent and his character.
“In my mind I had questions about Calvin coming in and being an international player. There are lots of areas for Calvin to develop. But some really smart PBA coaches, guys on my coaching staff, really talked me into it. And it’s probably one of the best decisions I’ve ever made,” said Baldwin in a published report.
“I enjoy Calvin so much. He’s such a productive player. We’ve sat down. We’ve had some talks. I really feel that this is a quality kid. Now that he’s in there. It would be tough for anybody to get him out. I think he will really blossom with this experience.”
Abueva’s staunchest supporter in the national team is no doubt Alaska Aces head coach Alex Compton who is also assistant to Baldwin. Compton is a daily witness to Abueva’s relentless drive and will to win during Alaska Aces practices and games.
“You can see what Calvin brings. He’s a competitor. He kinda reminds me of a forward version of Ryan Reyes. I love to watch those guys (run) head-first to the wall for a ball. They might throw their bodies all over the place and Calvin is one of those guys,” Compton said in a published report.
“He’s so fast, he plays so hard, he doesn’t stop. He’s so passionate about the game. The guy can gain you possessions through 50-50 balls, by offensive rebounding, sprinting for the ball and getting deflections.”
Abueva’s biggest asset for any team he plays for is his attitude and belief that he deserves to gain possession of every rebound and every loose ball play. Abueva is relentless, unforgiving and usually misunderstood.
People often mistake his confidence for arrogance and his relentless drive for belligerence.
Baldwin himself understands the value of a player like Abueva and has stepped out of his way to better understand how to utilize his talent to its fullest.
“I’ve had some discussions with Calvin that have been fruitful and productive. I think he understands what I’m looking from him as a coach. I think he’s a wonderful guy. I didn’t know that before. I didn’t know him at all. So he came into camp. He’s a great kid. I really enjoy having him in camp. And so far he’s done a tremendous job. His work ethic is excellent. And his attitude has been outstanding,” said Baldwin.