In Defense of "The Beast" Calvin Abueva by Exequiel Jun Villejo

He entered the league nicknamed "The Beast" for his enormous effort whether it be on scoring, rebounding, defense, and everything. A 6'2" player who averaged 15 points a game and 12 rebounds is simply remarkable considering his height and his rivals' height that averaged 6'7", 6'8", or 6'9". "Height is might." they say, but Abueva fought his way up and earned double figures in the rebounding department. EXCEPTIONAL.
Yes, he doesn't have a superb talent in creating his own shot. He doesn't possess the skill of a tip-top handles. He doesn't have that splendid shooting. He doesn't have all of these. But, trust me, he doesn't lack effort. In fact, when he is on the court, he is everywhere! I repeat, EVERYWHERE. As what he said in his Kuwentong Gilas episode, "Nung bata ako, hindi ako nag training ng pag dribble o pag crossver, sipag at tiyaga lang talaga!". He will never be called The Beast for nothing.
He has that ball of energy that will not wear out. Fatigue is not part of his dictionary. HE DOESN'T EVEN KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS. He is a machine. He will never tire! Whenever the team lacks energy, turn to Abueva, and you will never regret. NOT ONE.
Defense. He is known for his a-little-less-than-dirty defense. He is even known as an "Import Stopper". How amazing it is, that a 6'2" guy can defend 6'7", 6'8" guys who are brawnier than him, faster than him. EFFORT. DEFENSE. A Filipino player who can equal a good foreign import. AMAZING.
He just lost 3 consecutive Finals trip against San Miguel. Lost a Game 7 twice. Lost in a series wherein they are one win shy from winning the championship but was snatched by the mighty San Miguel - a historic series. Lost in a series wherein they never won a single game. But these never stopped him from reaching his goal. He fought and reached another Finals appearance against an injury-hit Rain or Shine. And again, unfortunately, they lost. But this does not stopped him, he participated the 2-week Gilas training in Greece, Turkey, and Italy only to find out that he will not be part of the Final 12 lineup. HEARTBREAKING.
I hope these will not stop him from being the usual Calvin Abueva. I hope these will not stop him for being the "The Beast" I've known since 2012. I HOPE THESE HAVE TRIGGERED SOMETHING EXPLOSIVE INSIDE HIM.........

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