NEW TAIPEI CITY, Taiwan — Having played and starred for three national teams as the starting center, veteran player Asi Taulava doesn’t mind if he comes off the bench and play back up to naturalized player Marcus Douthit in the Smart-Gilas Pilipinas.

“He’s the better, more talented big guy,” said Taulava, who is here with improving the rest of the national team competing in the William R. Jones Cup. “That was the reason the SBP went out to naturalize him. That’s what we’re lacking.”

“We’re lacking somebody in Marcus’s size, his athletic ability, the way he plays. He’s an NBA material. He’s such a great player. He’s got everything that you can ask for,” he said.

“I feel good backing up Marcus. I can learn from him, the other things he does. I’m just happy to be on the team with him. He makes my job so much easier when I’m matching up against the seven-footers,” added Taulava.

The 38-year-old Taulava has played under coach Jong Uichico during the Asian Games in Busan and the PBA-backed team lost to South Korea in the semifinals.

He was also a member of two other RP team composed of professional players, in 2007 with mentor Chot Reyes in the FIBA-Asia Championship in Tokushima, Japan, and with coach Yeng Guiao during the 2009 FIBA-Asia Championship in Tianjin, China.

In both tournaments, which served as Olympic and World Championship qualifiers, respectively, the Nationals failed to achieve their goal.

With Smart-Gilas, Taulava, a former PBA Most Valuable Player (MVP), feels that they have a better chance in next month’s FIBA-Asia Championship in Wuhan, China, the qualifier for the 2012 London Olympics.

The national team is playing Jordan (2-0) at presstime. Smart-Gilas will face Malaysia Tuesday.

source:  Waylon Galvez -MB

Smart Gilas Pilipinas' ploy of resting Marcus Douthit and JV Casio in their match against Malaysia in the 33rd William Jones Cup almost backfired.

Gilas overcame a poor start and used a third-quarter scoring blitz in thrashing Malaysia, 86-68, on Tuesday at the Hsinjhuang Stadium in New Taipei City, Taiwan.

Coach Rajko Toroman rested Douthit and Casio to prepare them from an expected tough outing against Korea on Thursday.

"We tried to rest our point guard (Casio) and our big guy (Douthit) for our next game against Korea," said Toroman, who obviously wasn’t satisfied with the way his team played in the opening half. “It was not a good game for us. We have to play much better."

The victory got the Nationals back on track after losing to Jordan Monday, 76-72, and improved their record to 3-1 overall heading to their 5 p.m. showdown with the unbeaten Koreans for a possible shot at a semifinals berth.



The winless Malaysians (0-4) took advantage of Douthit and Casio's absence, stalking the Nationals for two-and-a-half quarters, and even took a 38-37 lead early in the third.

Gilas then unleashed a game-turning 24-2 run to break the game wide open for a 61-40 lead.

Gilas, however, lost Asi Taulava after that scoring run as the veteran big man was thrown out of the game after he punch Malaysia's Kwan Jing, whom he accused of deliberately committing an obscene foul with 7.4 seconds left in the third.

Kwan was likewise thrown out by game officials.

"He grabbed my balls, squeezed it and then back-punched it," said Taulava, who later apologized for his action.

Skipper Chris Tiu and Mac Baracael paced Gilas with 14 points each, Japeth Aguilar and Marcio Lassiter added 13, while Chris Lutz had 12.


Gilas team manager Frankie Lim said Taulava escaped possible suspension and is expected to play when the Nationals face undefeated South Korea on Wednesday.

Scores:

Philippines 86 — Baracael 14, Tiu 14, Lassiter 13, Aguilar 13, Lutz 12, Ababou 6, Barroca 5, Ballesteros 4, Hontiveros 3, Taulava 2.

Malaysia 68 — Chee 15, Ng 9, Ong 8, Ho 6, Kuek 5, Wee 5, Batumalai 4, Ooi 4, Loh 4, Kwaan 4, Chin 2, So 2.

Quarter scores: 16-13, 37-34, 64-45, 86-68.






Related video to Asi  

 
source: ASEAN Basketball League: Kwaan Yoong Jing hits Steve Thomas in the nuts

source: JVP -GMA News

Pilipinas-Smart Gilas will go beyond reliance on individual talent when they go up against powerhouse Asian teams in the 2011 FIBA-Asia Championship for men in Wuhan, China on September 15 to 25.

The FIBA-Asia Championship is a qualifying tournament for the 2012 London Olympics.

Clearly lacking in size compared to their powerhouse Asian opponents, Pilipinas-Smart Gilas will
compensate with teamwork and tactics-focused regimented training that Serbian coach Rajko Toroman has applied to develop the team.

"We play military basketball and I like that. We are inside of the border and you have to move just inside of the border," said Toroman, who introduced a new system in the hopes of steering the Philippines back to the Olympics, in a report aired at Unang Balita.

"Don't go out of the border, you have enough space to show your individual skills inside the border. But don't create your own system. This team, Gilas, original Gilas, I think is the best tactical team in all Asia."




Gilas pointguard JV Casio believes tactical focus is what the team needs. "We can't really do this individually. We must not rely on individual skills."

Casio said Toroman and the Gilas coaching staff instilled a disciplined system that doesn't rely solely on individual skills. "They (coaching staff) showed that we should be at the right position. For us it is military basketball but I think this is what Philippine basketball needs."

Asi Taulava, on secondment from the Meralco Bolts to beef up Gilas' frontline, said teamwork will help the Philippines achieve of clinching an Olympic berth, which has eluded the country for almost four decades now.

The last time the Philippines qualified in the quadrennial Games was during the 1972 Munich Olympics where the country finished 13th out of 16 teams.

"It's going to be a whole different ball game, because now we all help one another for one purpose. It's not one guy is bigger than the other guy, it is like three guys working to achieve one goal. What we want to do is put ourselves in a position where we can medal and make everybody proud of us," Taulava said.