Taulava ganadong maglaro sa Gilas

HABANG tumatagal ang mga ensayo ng bagong Gilas Pilipinas ni coach Tab Baldwin, unti-unting nararamdaman ni Asi Taulava ang kanyang pagnanais na muling dalhin ang bandera ng Pilipinas sa FIBA Asia Championships sa Tsina sa Setyembre.

Huling naglaro si Taulava sa national team noong 2011 FIBA Asia sa Tsina kaya hindi naitago ng 43-taong-gulang na sentro ng North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) ang kanyang kasiyahan na maglingkod uli sa bayan dahil tanging ang kampeon ng FIBA Asia ngayong taong ito ay pupunta sa 2016 Rio Olympics.

“I’m proud to represent the national team and we veterans have to do our part by being in tip-top shape. I want to be in great shape and fill in those minutes to contribute to the program,” wika ni Taulava sa panayam ng programang Aksyon Sports ng Radyo Singko 92.3 News FM kahapon. “The best feeling now is for the Philippine flag on our chest and those Olympic rings. It’s been a long time since the Philippines play in the Olympics and this gives us the motivation especially that basketball is back on the Philippine map. We can use this as our motivation.”

Nakuha ni Baldwin si Taulava sa Gilas pagkatapos na umatras si June Mar Fajardo dahil sa kanyang mga pilay sa paa.

Bukod kay Taulava, kasama rin sa Gilas pool ang isa pang beteranong si Sonny Thoss upang tulungan si Andray Blatche.

Hanga rin si Taulava sa kakayahan ni Blatche na naglaro na para sa Gilas sa FIBA World Cup sa Espanya noong isang taon.

“Blatche is unbelievable. When he plays well, he’s gonna be unstoppable. He will carry much of the load and he knows it,” ani Taulava. “Me, Sonny and Andray, We’re gonna play physical. We will try to keep the big guys of the other teams out of the paint. No nonsense. The difference now, we have a dominant player like Andray. He can score from wherever he wants. All we have to do is help him out. Hopefully, he can carry us to the gold.”

Sa ngayon ay puspusan ang ensayo nina Taulava at ang iba pang mga miyembro ng Gilas lalo na sasabak sila sa ilang mga torneo sa labas ng bansa, kabilang ang Jones Cup sa Taiwan simula Agosto 29.

“Everything is about pushing our body to the max. We have to be in tip-top shape because the country is expecting us to play well. We expect six more weeks of boot camp. It’s a tough task with all the injuries. This is our chance to play for the national team and let the young guys take over in the future,” pagtatapos ni Taulava. (James Ty III)