Ahead of the second Thailand game, Migs Bustos sees a lot of upsides to Oftana and Tungcab

Gilas Pilipinas had announced Sunday its strong dozen men for its second and final game against Thailand to wrap up their Bahrain bubble on Monday evening.

Thanks to their depth owing to their 14-man pool (with Allyn Bulanadi being let down by his shoulder), interim coach Jong Uichico wasted no time to give Calvin Oftana and Jaydee Tungcab their chance in playing for the flag and country on Bonifacio Day.

Replacing the Ateneo pair of William Navarro and Mike Nieto, how will the duo can offer for Gilas not just for this game, but in the long run? With that, this writer had a quick word with resident analyst and Pinoyliga editor Migs Bustos about it.

For coach Migs, all four of them had their own strengths that are unique to each other. And with his experience in covering the games of the NCAA, especially to those with San Beda, already gave him the first-hand look at the reigning MVP who grind out his way in Mendiola.

With that, he sees the Dumaguete native as a rare breed in Philippine basketball

“Type ko talaga si Calvin Oftana, because he is the role player-MVP,” he remarked about the 6’5” forward who took the plum by being the most consistent Red Lion in their regular season sweep last year.

“Normally pag nakakakita tayo ng mga MVP, yung mga alpha. Pero si Oftana, he gets his numbers through playing like a role player,” he added, recognizing the fact that he was not the first option on scoring, in which it was held by the then dynamic duo of James Canlas and the now-La Salle transfer Evan Nelle.

His versatility on playing from small forward to center and his willingness to learn his new role in the team-oriented philosophy espoused by Coach Jong and program director Tab Baldwin will bode him well, even if we cannot see the 15.6 points and 8.2 rebounds every game.

“Bagay na bagay yun sa system ni coach Jong [Uichico] and coach Tab [Baldwin] na team basketball. So if they stick with this lineup, I think Calvin Oftana will get the upper hand in the future when he gets to prove himself in the international stage. Kasi kaya naman ng skill set niya.”

“Sabi ni coach Yeng [Guiao] dun sa commentary sa game [last Friday] is kapag big man ka, dapat mobile ka. Kung slow big ka, liability ka na.”

On the other hand, he admitted that he is unfamiliar of how the speedy guard from State U plays on both ends of the floor, although Bustos stated that Tungcab would have to find his niche as soon as possible, knowing that he has a lot of competition in the backcourt.

“For me kasi, marami na ring big guards that can fill in that position,” he then said, adding that unlike the jockeying for the guard spots, that is much less when in the front court wherein being a big man must be mobile to adjust to the fast-paced nature of the international game.

He then added that in order for Tungcab to stand out despite the odds stacked against him, he has to get his scoring hands back when was with Adamson apart from his primarily defensive role with the Falcons.

“Pagdating naman sa guwardiya, eh talagang kelangan scoring machine ka. Dapat efficient ka.”

With that in mind, coach Migs concluded the fact that knowing their role, even if it is the most uncomfortable of all, is the optimum way of bringing the best out of Oftana and Tungcab in their international debuts, quoting Team USA’s Dawn Staley in the process.

“It’s all about sticking to that role. Kung ano yung ibinigay sa iyo na role, dun ka magfocus.”

PHOTO: FIBA