CHANGSHA – For coach Tab Baldwin, Calvin Abueva was a major factor against Iran for his energy and intensity more than the numbers he had logged in the stats sheet.
And even without a single point, Baldwin said Marc Pingris was as valuable as the rest of his teammates with his great defensive effort on Iranian forwards Oshin Sahakian and Saberi Hassanzadeh.
“They made the big difference defensively,” said Baldwin of Abueva and Pingris.
The Gilas mentor also pointed out how special a player Abueva is.
“He never stands still, he never watches a game; many players do. Calvin is always on an attack mode, be it on getting the rebound, attacking the defense and on guarding an opponent,” said Baldwin.
“That’s the way he plays and I think he can play for 15 years. Calvin is Calvin,” added Baldwin.
The Gilas mentor said Abueva and Pingris put up a great effort matching up with “extra-ordinary players.”