CALVIN ABUEVA is not “The Beast” for nothing. It’s either you hate him or love him, or better yet, have him on your team rather than play against.
But one of the so-called bad boys of Philippine basketball has a soft side—he is God-fearing.
“I don’t forget to pray to God every day,” Abueva told the BusinessMirror on Monday afternoon.
Especially now as he awaits the lifting of his suspension—which is running on its 17th month—by the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA).
“Because of prayers, I am very confident with myself that I can come back [to the PBA],” said Abueva, who despite serving an indefinite suspension was allowed by the PBA to join his team in the Clark bubble. “I know the Lord will never leave me in despair.”
Abueva is a deep devotee of the Black Nazarene. The 32-year-old Angeles City native said he makes it a point to attend Mass at the Quiapo Church.
“I always pray to God for the safety and success of my family, my teammates, the PBA, and all my love ones during these difficult times,” added Abueva, who always wears a scapular even when he is playing.
“I always attend the Nazarene festivity every year, I even climb the Nazarene’s carriage,” he said.
While at the bubble, Abueva said he prays as often as three times a day.
“I pray three times a day here because we’ll never know what may happen the next day. A plane may crash on you here while sleeping, that’s why you have to be prepared all the time,” he said.
The PBA entourage is billeted at the Quest Hotel, near the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport.
Abueva is in top physical condition and said he is “110 percent” ready to play once PBA Commissioner Willie Marcial gives him the green light to join the Phoenix Super LPG Fuel Masters.
Only the PBA stands in the way of Abueva. The Games and Amusements Board, through Chairman Abraham Kahlil Mitra, already reinstated his professional basketball license on a probationary status after he completed three seminars on how pro athletes should behave.
“I wanted to change [everything] for good because I already learned my lesson,” added Abueva, who was already a star as a kid in various leagues in Pampanga before enrolling at San Sebastian College and leading the Stags to the 2009 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) title.
With his hustle and brand of basketball, it’s a no brainer who his idol is: the National Basketball Association’s bad boy and rebounding demon Dennis Rodman.
“I make sure I stay in shape the way Dennis Rodman was when he was still playing,” he said. “I am awed with his energy and great defense.”
Abueva regularly works out, lifts weights and joins the team’s scrimmages in Clark. He also communicates with his family every day through video.
For now, Abueva is happy to see his team playing cohesively resulting in back-to-back victories under interim coach Topex Robinson, like him, a San Sebastian alumnus. And it is going to be a different and a more competitive Phoenix Super LPG squad once he is allowed to play.