As one of the top players from the Red Lion’s den, Calvin Oftana will always support San Beda University because it gave him the chance to shine and represent the country.
On a usual day when the Red Lions train, Oftana visited his alma mater to share his experiences in the pros and life as part of Gilas Pilipinas.
“Actually, pumunta ako nung last Monday, nag-training sila tas nandun ako. So nandun naman ako, nakausap ko naman sila.
“Si Coach Yuri (Escueta) nakasama ko rin, si Coach Boyet (Fernandez) nakasama ko sa Gilas dati nung nag-bubble kami sa Laguna, and okay naman, okay naman ‘yung samahan,” the 6-foot-5 forward of NLEX Road Warriors shared.
For Oftana, he believes that this batch of Red Lions has the potential to lead and take the crown back home in Mendiola for as long as they work hard while the more senior players step up and become leaders.
“Sa tingin ko kaya naman, they have the skills, and they have great coaches at tsaka players. Siguro, they need to mature lang different aspects. Siyempre, they should have a leader sa team hindi naman pwede lahat maging leader,” said the Season 95 MVP.
“So ‘yung lang rin sinabi ko sa kanila eh ‘kailangan may isang mag nag ma-mando sa team niyo para i-guide kayo, tiyaka bawas-bawasan yung gigil nila pag lalaro.”
For his part, Escueta was thankful for Oftana’s gesture. The one-time UAAP champion kept praising Oftana for his work ethic since when he was an athlete for San Beda and the national team.
The TNT Katropa assistant wants his players to work hard every day so that they will be worthy enough to compete during game day and there was no better example of what that brings than Oftana
“Well nag share si Calvin about him – ‘yung attitude nga niya on how he worked in practices, kaya nadadala niya ‘yung confidence [sa laban], and ‘yung winning attitude na pinagusapan natin sa game, so isa ‘yun sa mga minention namin kasi nakasama ko si Calvin sa Gilas eh,” Escueta shared.
“Sabi ko nga sa mga players probably one of the hardest work here dun sa group na ‘yun eh [sa Gilas] nandun na sila Mike Nieto, sila SJ [Belangel], sila Dave Ildefonso, masisipag na ‘yung mga ‘yun ah, pero si Calvin he’s always there, really early, kahit after nandun nag shu-shooting kaya kita mo ‘yung confidence niya ‘yung winning mindset nga niya nadadala sa game.”
One of the new players that Oftana talked to was Tony Ynot, who is seen as one of the stalwarts in the San Beda rebuild.
Ynot shared that his predecessor gave him lessons on how to be a good leader, which he looks to apply sooner rather than later.
“Sinabi niya sa akin mag motivate lang ako palagi, ichi-cheer up daw ‘yung team para hindi malungkot kasi malungkot nung last game namin. Sinasabi niya lang sa akin bigay ko lang ‘yung best ko,” said the former Red Cub.
Furthermore, the native of Davao City did not forget to catch up with his former teammate, James Canlas.
Canlas revealed to Tiebreaker Times that he was glad he got the chance to talk again with his “kuya,” and praised him for what he has achieved in his pro career.
“Well, Calvin, he is basically like a ‘kuya’ to me. He’s been successful; look at him. He got to be an MVP in the NCAA, he’s now a PBA player, and in Gilas,” said Canlas, who witnessed Oftana’s growth from bench-warmer to MVP.
“He’s telling me like, ‘C’mon, you gotta be the man, you gotta step, you got to lead these guys, if you guys wanted the championship, and just keep it always positive like lift up your teammates or like don’t bring them down, like just give them positive vibes and a good attitude.”
Due to the pandemic, Oftana never had the chance to redeem himself in San Beda after losing to Letran. However, he is playing his part to help the Red Lions bring back the NCAA crown.
