Calvin Abueva (left) and June Mar Fajardo and Ray Parks. Photos by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
Calvin Abueva may have been tagged as a rival of June Mar Fajardo and Ray Ray Parks at some point, but on the Gilas Pilipinas roster, the man known as The Beast may just become the two’s best bud.
On Wednesday, the three were seen fooling around in the Gilas Pilipinas’ practice at Meralco Gym in preparation for the Fiba Olympic Qualifying Tournament.
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Parks shared laughs with his collegiate rival while Fajardo and fellow jokester Marc Pingris poked fun at Abueva during free throw drills.
Amid the fun and games, though, Fajardo and Parks know what Abueva is capable of.
“Dinadala talaga niya yung energy niya, at yung intensity niya sa practice,” said Fajardo who, for the first time, will have Abueva as a teammate. “Nadagdagan intensity namin sa practice.”
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Abueva’s brand of play immediately showed up in practice with Fajardo’s San Miguel teammate Marcio Lassiter getting a few unintentional bumps from the Alaska forward.
Parks, for his part, was also in the receiving end of Abueva’s tenacity when the former San Sebastian Stag inadvertently poked the once National University Bulldog.
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“Calvin’s good, he brings that intensity, he brings that competitiveness to the team and he’s a hard worker,” said Parks. “That’s his talent, his God-given talent. He uses it well.”
Abueva was part of the Gilas team that won the silver medal in the 2015 Fiba Asia Championship where the Filipinos won the silver medal after a loss in the final game to hosts China.
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An undersized power forward, Abueva uses cunning, innate timing, and physical play to match up against bigger players most memorably 7-foot-2 Hamed Haddadi of Iran.
For perspective, Abueva is listed as 6-foot-2.
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Parks first faced Abueva in the Filoil preseason tournament but both were still youngsters with the former experiencing maturity with the Texas Legends in the NBA D-League and the latter grinding it out in the PBA and the national team.
Fajardo said he feels excited to have Abueva for the first time as a teammate as both players like having fun despite basketball’s physical nature.
“Masaya kami na nakabalik na siya,” said Fajardo of Abueva after recovering from a mild ankle sprain the forward sustained in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals. “Mahirap bantayan si Calvin, maliit pero malaki ang puso. Yung hustle plays niya ayun malaking tulong talaga si Calvin sa amin.”
“Yung binibigay niya na intensity, nakaka boost sa amin and nabu boost din ang intensity.”