RC Calimag Honors JV Gallego After San Beda Stuns UP

RC Calimag sat inside the press room wiping tears from his eyes as San Beda assistant coach Andre Santos spoke to the media.

Beside them was Aldous Torculas. The two players had once represented the UP Fighting Maroons, and minutes earlier, they had helped San Beda eliminate their former school from the Filoil EcoOil Preseason Cup semifinals.

Calimag had just delivered one of his finest performances as a Red Lion. He scored 27 points and buried six three-pointers as San Beda stunned the three-time defending champion, 93-72, to reach the tournament finals for the first time since 2019.

It should have been a moment of unrestrained celebration. Instead, as Santos answered questions about the victory, Calimag continued wiping away tears.

His thoughts were with JV Gallego.

The former National University and San Beda guard had passed away at 28 following a road accident in Meycauayan, Bulacan, the day before the semifinal. The news left the Red Lions with barely enough time to understand what they had lost before they had to step onto the court again.

Some players leave behind championships. Others leave behind records, highlights or unforgettable performances.

Gallego left behind the relationships he built with people.

Long after his playing days with San Beda came to an end, he remained a familiar presence around the program. He visited practices, spent time with the players, and made himself available whenever the younger Red Lions needed advice about basketball or simply someone willing to listen.

He no longer had to be there, but he continued to show up.

Perhaps no one captured that better than Calimag.

The two were never lined up together in the NCAA, with Calimag still completing his residency while Gallego played in Season 99. But they were brothers within the San Beda program, and somewhere along the way, Calimag found someone he came to regard as a big brother.

“Actually, JV, hindi ko siya naabutan as a teammate, pero naabutan ko siya as a senior. Because when I came in 2023, sila yung mga maglalaro for Season 99. So basically, we bonded a lot, especially outside the court. So, he’s been a big brother to me and my family. Close siya kay mom at kay dad. He’s been family talaga.”

Gallego had been a highly regarded prospect long before arriving in Mendiola. He led Chiang Kai Shek College to an NBTC championship and was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player before representing the Philippines at the 2016 FIBA Asia U18 Championship.

He began his collegiate career with NU before transferring to San Beda, where he became part of the Red Lions’ NCAA Season 99 championship team in 2023. Gallego later carried his influence into coaching, handling the basketball program of World Citi Colleges and serving as head coach of Colegio San Agustin Makati’s high school boys teams.

For Calimag, however, the games and accomplishments were not the first things that came to mind.

He remembered the dinners after practice. The team outings. The conversations that continued long after basketball had stopped for the day. Those ordinary moments were where Gallego became part of Calimag’s life and family.

“Actually, after practice, we eat out. And at the same time, going out. Pag may team labas, gimmick. Lumalabas kami. Then, yung pinaka-memory ko sa kanya is whenever I’m struggling sa laro ko, he’s always there to give advice. So, yun talaga.”

For a young player trying to find his place within an established program, having someone he could trust made a difference. Whenever Calimag struggled with his game, Gallego offered advice and the perspective of someone who understood what he was going through.

It was mentorship that developed naturally—not because anyone assigned Gallego the responsibility, but because that was the kind of teammate and senior he had chosen to become.

That was why the phone call Calimag received after practice did not immediately make sense.

The news came from teammate Joe Celzo. At first, disbelief outweighed grief. The possibility that they were talking about the JV he knew felt impossible to accept.

“Actually, I heard the news. Tumawag si Joe Celzo sa akin. Right after practice yesterday, sabi niya, ‘Wala na si JV, pre.’ I was like, ‘Sino? JV? Ibang JV?’ Then, he told me na, ‘JV Gallego.’ Then, sabi niya, ‘Huwag muna kayong maingay.’ Then, Coach Boyet told me, as in nalugmok lahat. Then, ayun. Sobrang nakagulat talaga.”

The following day, San Beda still had a semifinal to play.

Basketball can demand that players compete even when life refuses to pause. Before facing UP, Calimag found a quiet way to bring Gallego onto the floor with him.

Written in marker on his shoe were two words: “Tatang JV.”

“Tatang” was the nickname Gallego carried inside the San Beda program—a fitting reflection of the older-brother role he embraced around the team.

“Actually, may words ako na nilagay ko sa shoe ko for Tatang. Kasi that’s his nickname sa team. So, basically, yun talaga yung nag-impact sa akin.”

Calimag then played a game worthy of the person he was honoring.

San Beda hit 16 three-pointers and transformed a narrow 37-35 halftime advantage into a rout. Calimag made four of his six triples after halftime, helping the Red Lions build a 19-point lead by the end of the third quarter and ending UP’s pursuit of a fourth consecutive Filoil championship.

It was the kind of shot-making performance Gallego would have appreciated. Still, Calimag knew the praise would probably have arrived with a joke and a reminder to pass the ball more.

Asked what Gallego would have said after watching him score 27 points, Calimag managed to smile through the sadness.

“Matutuwa yun. Pero for sure aasarin din ako nun. ‘Buwakaw ka.’ To assist, shotmaker siya. So, whenever we do extra, we always practice our moves. Isa na yun. Proud siya.”

It was not difficult for Calimag to picture Gallego saying exactly that. The teasing was part of their relationship—encouragement accompanied by accountability, praise followed by a playful reminder to make the extra pass.

By then, the conversation had moved far beyond basketball. It was about how Calimag wanted people to remember the man whom the Red Lions called Tatang.

“Big brother, for sure. As a friend, you know, he’s always there. Sabi ko nga eh. Sabi ko sa ibang teammate ko na, kung ibang tao iiwan ka o ibang teammate iiwan ka, siya yun. In a room full of people na iiwan ka, siya yung laging nandiyan. So, leader, big brother, good example.”

Championships will always be remembered at San Beda. Banners will continue to hang inside its gym, and new generations of Red Lions will pursue the standard that has defined the program for decades.

But a person’s greatest legacy is not always measured by trophies.

Sometimes, it lives in the younger players who became better because someone stayed to guide them. It lives in the families they welcomed as their own and the conversations after practice that nobody else heard.

That was the kind of big brother JV Gallego became.

And when San Beda begins its Filoil championship series against JRU, Calimag and the Red Lions will once again carry Tatang with them.