Taulava: Welcome to Guiao’s ‘Team Pilipinas’ era
MANILA, Philippines — Having served the flag and country multiple times in the past, Asi Taulava has seen it all.
And what he’s seeing now excites him.
“Gilas—that’s in the past,” he told reporters shortly after Thursday night’s national team pool practice at the Meralco Gym. “This is coach Yeng (Guiao's) time.”
“It’s time to change the image of Philippine basketball,” he continued. “Under coach Yeng’s time, we want to be known as Team Pilipinas. We want to [do away] with those moniker names and something like that.”
Taulava was alluding to the incident last July that tarnished the national team in a FIBA World Cup qualifiers game against Australia. The news, which made rounds globally, led to the suspension of the members of the coaching staff and nine of the Filipino players that saw action in the game.
And as far has indications of a new reign go, Taulava suggested that you need not look far.
“As far as everything else, we’re all love for coach Yeng. You can see we’re all present again, three days in a row. I think last time I saw something like this was 2002. So all the players they asked for, they’re here,” the burly Filipino-Tongan said.
It is worth noting, though, that while Taulava has been a fixture in multiple national teams in the past, he also serves as a veteran presence at the NLEX Road Warriors’ camp, which Guiao currently handles in the PBA.
The 45-year-old Taulava has played for Gilas Pilipinas under Rajko Toroman, Tab Baldwin, Jong Uichico and Guiao in the past. He also played for Chot Reyes in the 2007 squad that saw action in the FIBA Asia Championship in Tokushima, Japan.
“Everybody that came into this group, it’s because coach Yeng asked. [He wants to do] something special (and) we want to help him, do whatever we can do to qualify for the next round,” he added.
Taulava represented the Philippines in the recently concluded Asian Games in Jakarta where they improved the country’s previous performance by finishing fifth in the tournament, and by putting valiant stands against powerhouse China, and nemesis Korea.
With multiple tours of duty off club teams and national teams, and PBA titles under his belt, Taulava is looking to add more to his repertoire as he braces to serve Guiao and the Nationals anew in their FIBA World Cup qualifying games for either the Iran or Qatar games, or both.
“It has been so long. But this is great for Philippines basketball: One man that can unite all the big bodies in the PBA, the board, SBP—and that’s coach Yeng,” he declared in closing.
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