Being the NCAA Season 95 Most Valuable Player, Calvin Oftana of San Beda is a no-brainer to be picked as one of the members of Gilas Pilipinas’ all-Cadets team for the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers’ Manama bubble.
Posting norms of 15.6 points per game last season, everyone knows that the slender 6-foot-5 utility forward can put up buckets.
But being surrounded by aces in Gilas, the 24-year-old native of Dumaguete City is willing to take a backseat and do the dirty things for Gilas.
“Yung role ko dito? Kung anong kulang sa team namin ‘yun yung itutulong ko… Kulang sa cheer? Gagawin ko! Kulang sa depensa? Dedepensa ako! Kulang puso? Buong puso ko itataya ko para lang manalo kami.
“Kasi kung points naman, lahat ng kasama ko meron niyan. Kaya kung anong kulang nalang dun ako,” said Oftana, who also averaged 8.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.2 blocks per game.
During Gilas’ first practice at the Inspire Sports Academy a couple of weeks ago, Oftana admitted that he was surprised with how things are run by program director Tab Baldwin.
Everything was systematic, he recalled. And good thing for him, Oftana had his head coach Boyet Fernandez and fellow Red Lion Kemark Carino with him.
“To be honest okay naman na andito si Coach B para o-guide din kami ni Kemark. Pero it’s not about us the San Beda team eh, he is here part of the National Team — to help all the player to improve, motivate us, and to make us a better player,” shared Oftana.
“Di na nga kami kinakausap eh.”
It is still unknown whether Oftana will make the final cut for Gilas’ first game against Thailand on Friday, October 27.
But for him, the experience of training with the country’s best young guns is an experience that is already enough.
“Siyempre na excite ako. Sino ba naman hindi? Lalaro ka pa naman sa para sa country mo. And isa syang blessing para sa akin na maging part sa Gilas, new opportunity, next level experience, and may matutunan kang iba na pywde mo pang ikakagaling eh. ‘Yan yung gusto ko,” he said.
“And playing side-by-side with the top collegiate players is a good thing for me kasi di ko pa gaano kakilala yung mga players from UAAP kung pano sila mag laro, how they work. I know maraming ako matutunan sa kanila. “
