Abueva shows worth with Gilas, proves Baldwin wrong

Calvin Abueva showed his value in Gilas Pilipinas’ win over Chinese Taipei-A in the Filipinos’ 2015 Jones Cup debut Sunday night. Musong R. Castillo/Philippine Daily Inquirer

TAIPEI – Tab Baldwin wanted Calvin Abueva to be a bit hungrier before offering the undersized power forward his first stint with Gilas Pilipinas.

As it turned out, Abueva has been so famished all these years that he’s been ready to eat everyone up alive.

“I thought Calvin (still) has some growing up to do, some learning to do,” Baldwin said on Monday morning during practice, a night after Abueva proved his worthiness with a 15-point, six-rebound effort in a 77-69 win over Chinese Taipei-A in the Filipinos’ Jones Cup debut here.

“I wouldn’t have taken Calvin (to the pool) this year. He wasn’t in the original pool of 26 (players),” Baldwin said before practically admitting that his assistant coaches – Alex Compton, Jong Uichico and Josh Reyes – talked him into including “The Beast” at the last minute.

“A lot of credit has to go to Calvin himself. We’ve had some good chats and he’s taken it upon himself to adapt to the Gilas environment,” continued Baldwin. “I felt that leaving him out (of the pool) would have been good for him because he wants it so bad.”

“I don’t mind revealing this now because Calvin and I have talked and he is a quality kid and a very good player at that as we can all see.”

Abueva has been on the national team radar ever since he was in college.

He turned down two invitations already – the first while still with San Sebastian with the Norman Black-coached cadet squad that won the gold medal in the 2011 Southeast Asian Games and the second as part of the original Gilas Pilipinas program.

When he turned pro, Chot Reyes already wanted Abueva to be part of the team that played in the Fiba Asia Championship in Manila and later on for the World Cup squad that won a game in Seville, Spain last year.

Things didn’t work out in all those occasions and left Abueva as hungry as one could be.

“Perhaps that lesson (on hunger) would not have been needed to be learned, as I am seeing now,” Baldwin said. “But at the time (when he drew up the first list), I felt we had a lot of talent with my original pool and it would have been good to make him hungry.”

This Gilas Pilipinas squad doesn’t have another player like Abueva. Even the PBA has just one and the entire country as well. And it certainly didn’t escape Baldwin’s eyes.

“I can see that this is a passion for him. It has all worked out for the best and I am happy on being proven wrong,” said the national coach.