The Converge FiberXers recently sent shockwaves across the PBA landscape when they acquired superstar veteran Calvin Abueva in exchange for Rey Suerte, King Caralipio, and Mark Denver Omega. Days later, in his first practice with his new team, The Beast already sent a message to his younger teammates.
“’Yung maturity and energy lang. Hindi pwedeng tayong nasa downline,” Abueva told the FiberXers in a video posted on the official Converge Facebook page. “Kailangan ko ‘yung tulong niyo, kailangan niyo ang tulong ko. Maniwala kayo sa akin.”
This is precisely the kind of leadership the 38-year-old Abueva can bring to the FiberXers, who were a few plays away from punching a ticket to the PBA Philippine Cup semifinals but made crucial mistakes with the game on the line.
Abueva Vows, “Sasabay Ako”
As Abueva implored his teammates to rally around one another, he also vowed he would keep up with the much younger FiberXers.
“Magkaisa lang tayo,” he said. “Bigay lang natin lahat. Mga bata pa tayo. Ako bata pa ako, 38, pero sasabay ako sa inyo.”
The FiberXers, of course, are a relatively young team by PBA standards, with only 34-year-old Kevin Racal aged at least 30. Juan Gómez de Liaño, Converge’s unquestioned main man, is a rookie and is only 26, while guards Schonny Winston and Alec Stockton are both just 27. Big men Justin Arana and Justine Baltazar, meanwhile, are only 26 and 28, respectively, while role players Larry Muyang, MJ Garcia, and Archie Concepcion are all under 30.
Keeping Up Won’t Be a Problem
But as Abueva showed in the recently concluded PBA Philippine Cup, keeping up with the young guns won’t be a problem. Even at 37, The Beast arguably had his most productive conference ever, putting up 23.6 points, 11.9 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.8 steals, and 1.2 blocks in 10 games for the Titan Ultra Giant Risers.
With a more talent-laden squad behind him, Abueva likely won’t have to do as much heavy lifting in Converge as he did with Titan Ultra. This figures to give the Pampanga native more energy to focus on defense, rebounding, and being a connector on offense.
Needless to say, expect Calvin Abueva to do as he says and bring energy and maturity to Converge, whatever his role will be.
