PBA fans will come to love Abueva after Gilas stint, says Compton
Calvin Abueva’s successful first stint with the national team has turned his haters to fans.
The Alaska forward doesn’t have a lot of fans outside of the Aces’ fanbase with his rugged style of play giving the opposition fits.
But interestingly, that style of his is what also makes Abueva a favorite by his teammates and one of the most popular Gilas Pilipinas player.
“The thing about Calvin is when you play with him, you see what he brings,” said Alaska coach Alex Compton. “You see his level of energy, his enthusiasm, how he gets to the free throw line because he just explodes, you see his rate value. I think the fans saw that as well. He’s a polarizing guy, but when he comes to your team, you’ll love him.”
Compton also said that Abueva’s sacrifices for the country did not go unnoticed, which could very well be the reason why Filipino basketball fans will come to love the former San Sebastian star in the coming season.
Aces assistant coach Louie Alas thinks Abueva’s international experience, where he was an integral part of the Philippine team that won the silver medal in the 2015 Fiba Asia Championship recently, will also benefit Alaska.
“Definitely, it’s a positive for us. If Calvin can bring the kind of maturity he showed in Fiba Asia, it’s a big plus for us,” said Alas, who used to coach against Abueva in the NCAA as the former mentor of the Letran Knights. “One thing’s for sure, he knew how to play small forward and found a way to contribute despite him having limited time on the floor.”
And more than anything, Compton said that Abueva was able to show the Filipinos what kind of player he is when he’s just focused on playing and winning as part of Gilas.
“I think the things that he learned will be a continuous part of his growth,” said Compton, who is also part of Gilas’ coaching staff headed by Tab Baldwin.
“His game and his decision-making that he needs to keep on working on while not sacrificing the thing that everybody loves about him, his energy, his toughness, his passion, his relentlessness. He gets you possessions that you think there’s no way we’re going to get this. It will be a very big part of his career.”
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