Calvin Oftana vows to keep on supporting Gilas Pilipinas despite being dropped from the 12-man squad that will see action in the FIBA Basketball World Cup starting Friday.
In an interview with DAILY TRIBUNE, Oftana stressed that he remains upbeat despite being one of the four players cut from the final roster of Gilas coach Chot Reyes.
Aside from Oftana, also dropped were Thirdy Ravena, Ray Parks and Chris Newsome.
This leaves the pool down to the final roster players with naturalized player Jordan Clarkson, big men June Mar Fajardo, Japeth Aguilar, AJ Edu and Kai Sotto, swingmen Dwight Ramos and Jamie
Malonzo, and guard Scottie Thompson leading the squad.
“I’m happy to be here. Even if I’m not chosen, I can still help them prepare for the upcoming World Cup,” Oftana said.
Entering his third season in the Philippine Basketball Association, Oftana’s inclusion in the Gilas program is just the start of his international journey.
He entered the Gilas program only last year and had proven that he is one of the most reliable players of Reyes for being available whenever he’s asked to play for the country.
“It’s a start of the journey,” said Oftana, who rejoined the Gilas program despite crashing with a calf injury in their first game in the 32nd Southeast Asian Games.
“Whatever happened to me in the SEA Games, maybe, God has a purpose and possibly, even my non-inclusion in the World Cup. But even though I wasn’t able to complete all the games in the SEA Games, I still became a gold medalist for the first
time.”
“Playing in the World Cup would be a dream come true and at least I came so close to achieving it.”
Oftana’s coach in the PBA, Jojo Lastimosa, said his sacking may contribute to various reasons, including the timing.
“Not yet,” Lastimosa said in a Viber message. “He hasn’t established himself yet.”
For Lastimosa, there’s one big element that has been missing in the game of Oftana, a 6-foot-5, versatile player who was once named as Most Valuable Player in the National Collegiate Athletic Association.
“Hindi siya makapal ang mukha,” Lastimosa quipped.
“It comes with the total confidence in yourself and having the ability to take risks and not be afraid to fail. Always looking ahead to improve and learn from past mistake.”
