Calvin Oftana certainly knows how to respond to big responsibilities, following a solid outing in Game 4 of the PBA Governors’ Cup Finals on Sunday night.
The sophomore winger was informed that he would be logging heavier minutes with Roger Pogoy ruled out for the rest of the series due to a broken finger. He took full advantage of that opportunity to help his side to a 116-104 victory, finishing with 16 points on 60-percent shooting from the field, including a 4-of-6 clip from deep, on top of two rebounds, two assists, and a steal.
“Sinabi lang ni Coach [Jojo Lastimosa] sa’kin na just be ready kasi nga wala si Roger,” said Oftana during the postgame presser at the Willie Caballes Hall inside the SMART Araneta Coliseum, Sunday night.
“I took those shots, sabi ni Coach ‘pag nakuha ko raw, tira ko raw, sabi ko ako na bahala sa laro ko,” he added with a grin.
“Luckily, pumapasok.”
Head coach Jojo Lastimosa always knew that Oftana was the one weapon in his deep arsenal that could ably step up with Pogoy gone. That trust was evident when he brought him to the first five.
It was the 27-year-old’s first start since the 2022-23 Commissioner’s Cup as he had always come off the bench in this conference.
“As much as we miss Roger on both ends, we know that the guy who’s going to step up into his role is this guy, the MVP of the NCAA, and a bona fide scorer. I told him he was going to get a lot of time tonight, so be ready to play,” he said.
Oftana did his part extremely well, where he didn’t just cover for the two-way specialist but also redeemed himself after he went ‘missing’ back in Game 3.
That night saw the San Beda product finish with just three points on five shots in 28 minutes as the Tropang Giga absorbed a 117-103 defeat.
But there was nothing special whatsoever behind that performance, according to him, saying that he simply took the open shots. It was a mentality that the whole team embraced, leading to a Finals-record 21 three-pointers.
“Wala lang, same as usual. Kung anong pinaghandaan, kung ano yung training ko, ano yung paghahanda ko every game, same as usual,” he said.
“If you’re open, just take those shots, sabi ng mga coaches. Maganda naman ‘yung mga tira, open naman lahat,” the Dumaguete native added.
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The 2023 PBA Governors Cup Finals is live-streamed on SMART Sports.
