Sangalang says Abueva missing piece for Magnolia

Ian Sangalang and Calvin Abueva are teammates anew. FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — Calvin Abueva and Ian Sangalang are no strangers to celebrating titles together.

And now that the former college teammates are back on the same team, they’re hoping to do the same as Magnolia’s formidable frontcourt duo.

“I hope we get to do it again,” said Sangalang in Filipino on the PBA website.

Abueva and Sangalang starred for San Sebastian during the Stags’ NCAA title run in 2009 before winning another crown in the PBA D-League with NLEX two years later.

Last week, Abueva was traded by Phoenix to Magnolia to seal his reunion with Sangalang, who sees “The Beast” as the Hotshots’ missing piece in their quest for another championship.

“Calvin is going to be of big help to us. He’s the missing spot on our team,” said the 29-year-old Sangalang. “We always come up short in the end because there’s something lacking on our team and I think Calvin can fill that void.”

During last season’s Philippine Cup bubble, Phoenix, with Abueva among its stars, booted out Sangalang and Magnolia in the quarterfinals.