Hector Calma cheers as fan of Smart Gilas

SEVILLE, Spain – Hector Calma, inarguably the best Filipino point guard of his time, follows here the 2014 FIBA World Cup and is seeing right before his eyes first-class performances by Filipino playmakers.

“Ang gagaling,” said Calma, especially impressed by Jimmy Alapag’s and Jayson Castro’s tough stand versus Argentina’s experienced guards led by the New York Knicks’ Pablo Prigioni.

Calma watches Alapag, Castro and LA Tenorio with a bit of envy, remembering their time when they missed the 1986 world championship in Madrid, Spain because of the disbandment of the NCC national team right after the EDSA revolution.

“We qualified for winning the ABC (Asian Basketball Conference championship), but then we missed the worlds due to the political problem in our country then,” Calma recalled.

“Seeing our guys playing here, parang nakulangan ako bigla (in his achievements),” he added.

The NCC team, also including Dennis Still, Jeff Moore, Samboy Lim, Allan Caidic, Yves Dignadice, Elmer Reyes, Tonichi Yturri, Jerry Codiñera, Franz Pumaren, Pido Jarencio and the late Alfie Almario, were denied of a chance to play the likes of the US’s David Robinson, USSR’s Arvydas Sabonis and Valeri Tikhonenko, Brazil’s Oscar Schmidt and Marcel de Souza, Yugoslavia’s Drazen Petrovic, Spain’s Juan Antonio San Epifanio, Greece’s Nikos Galis and Italy’s Antonello Rivera.

“But that’s also the reason why when Gilas qualified, I asked my wife ‘let’s go to Spain and support them,’” Calma said.

Calma, Adamson’s star in its lone UAAP championship in 1977, had a long stint as a national player since playing back-up to Marte Saldana in the 1980 Youth team under coach Turo Valenzona.

He had been to probably all tournaments, except the worlds. “Yun ang na-miss ko,” he said.

With his long stint as Team Phl’s top playmaker and winning moments in the pros from 1986-1994, Calma has received numerous awards and citations, including elevation to the PBA Hall of Fame.

Where does he rank himself against the next players who directed the plays for the national team, he said: “Hard to compare. Different generations.”

Asked who are the best Filipino point guards in his mind after their time, he said: “It’s Johnny Abarrientos, Jimmy Alapag, LA Tenorio and Olsen Racela.”