NBA coach says Asi big boost to RP 5

Denver Nuggets assistant coach for player development and international scout Jarrin Akana, who was in town to conduct basketball clinics for Nike, said the other day Asi Taulava would be a big boost to the Philippines’ campaign to regain cage supremacy in Asia.

Akana, 34, said his brother Brandon was Taulava’s teammate at Brigham Young University in Hawaii and he personally knows the Talk ‘N’ Text center. He came for a four-day visit and went back to the US the other day.

"From what I know, he’s half-Filipino," added Akana. "At least, I’ve always known him to be half-Filipino. I came to Manila for the first time to help out Asi in conducting clinics for kids a few years ago. He just finished playing in his first PBA (Philippine Basketball Association) season. I was in Manila for a week and loved it."

Akana said he keeps track of what’s going on in the PBA although the focus of his attention as a Nuggets scout is China. He’s on the lookout for a PBA player whom he might be able to bring to the National Basketball Association (NBA) like he did to Japanese guard Yuta Tabuse.

If not for Earl Boykins on the Nuggets roster, Akana said Tabuse would’ve made it to the Denver lineup. Still, Tabuse was on the Phoenix Suns’ opening day roster this season and became the first Japanese ever to play in the NBA.

It’s no accident that Tabuse played at Brigham Young University in Hawaii where Akana was an assistant coach from 1997 to 2000.

Regarding Taulava’s suspension from the PBA, Akana just shrugged his shoulders and said, "they should just let him play."

Akana said Taulava’s size would be a plus factor for the Philippine team playing against China, South Korea and Japan in the Asian championships.

Akana’s knowledge of the PBA isn’t only traceable to Taulava. His brother-in-law William Kahi Villa played 39 games for the Phone Pals in two PBA seasons. Villa, who is married to Akana’s sister Suelan, was Talk ‘N’ Text’s third round pick in the 2003 PBA draft.

Akana said Villa, now retired from basketball, is training with the US Secret Service and will be based in Washington, D. C.

"Kahi, my sister and their two children lived in Manila for two years," said Akana. "My sister gave birth to their third child recently and they named him Quezon."

Akana said his Nuggets job is similar to what another Denver assistant coach Chip Engelland does.

"Chip handles a lot of the shooting drills," continued Akana. "I do a little more coaching and scouting."

But Akana said he’s not sure if Denver coach George Karl, who joined the Nuggets in the middle of the season, will retain the staff he inherited for next season.

"I really don’t know what’s going to happen," he said. "We’ll just wait and see. Maybe, I’ll be more involved in the management side next year. I have a good relationship with (general manager) Kiki Vandeweghe who got me to join him first at Dallas then at Denver. I met Kiki when I was helping out Pete Newell in his Big Man’s Camp in Hawaii."

Akana said Karl entered the players’ minds and made them believe they could win, triggering a turnaround that saw the Nuggets lose only four games from the All-Star break and enter the playoffs.

Akana was in Wang Fei’s coaching staff for China at the 2002 World Championships in Indianapolis and saw up close the potential of the national team. He used to drill the Chinese players at practice and helped out Wang, who speaks English, on the bench.

Akana said his multi-racial background allows him to circulate in various ethnic circles. His father is Hawaiian with Chinese and Caucasian blood while his mother is a Samoan-Caucasian.

Akana said it’s not likely any team in Asia can match up against China, size-wise, but that doesn’t mean the Chinese are unbeatable. "Nothing is impossible," he said.

Akana said coaching basketball is all about going to your team’s strengths and exploiting your opponent’s weaknesses. He said if your team is good in shooting, then make the game a shooting contest and if your team is quicker than the other, then make it a running game. The idea is not to play to your opponent’s strengths.

Akana said Boykins, a 5-5 guard, has opened the doors for more little men to play in the NBA.

"Earl is really special," said Akana. "He’s strong, tough and quick. And he plays and plays and plays to be the best he can be. He’s an inspiration to small guards. He understands what it takes to make it in the NBA and that means always playing and practicing. With the zone defense, little guys now get a chance to compete. Before, they just used to get posted up."

As for his coaching philosophy, Akana said his starting point is defense. And in offense, he said he likes to run and attack. "My thinking is if you put up more shots than your opponent, you have a better chance to win," he noted.

In the NBA playoffs, Akana said he picks San Antonio to go all the way. He added that if Shaquille O’Neal is healthy, Miami will beat Detroit for the Eastern ticket in the Finals.

Akana spoke from first-hand experience in choosing the Spurs. Denver surprised San Antonio by winning Game 1 of their first round playoff series on the road then the Spurs buckled down to work and swept the next four outings to clinch in five. Akana witnessed the proceedings from start to finish as part of the Nuggets coaching staff.

Akana conducted clinics for coaches and players last week. He attended the first-ever Nike Summer League (NSL) championship game at the Emilio Aguinaldo College Sports Center the other day. Team Ultraposite, coached by Elmer Latonio, won the NSL title.

The NSL tapped the country’s best young basketball-crazy kids with the potential to develop and become hoop heroes and was the first of its kind to draft players in the 13-17 age category for 20 teams in the two-month tournament. Over 2,000 players showed up for tryouts and 240 were picked in the draft presided by NSL commissioner Alvin Patrimonio..

Nike athletes Enrico Villanueva, Jeffrey Cariaso, John Arigo, Willie Miller, Paul Artadi, Ronald Tubid, Olsen Racela, Mark Cardona, Anthony Washington, Mark Isip, Alex Compton, L. A. Tenorio, J. V. Casio, Kenneth Bono, Arwind Santos, Leo Canuday, Larry Fonacier and Ronjay Enrile acted as managers for the 20 NSL teams. Coaches Alfrancis Chua and Koy Banal were also team managers.