Asi Taulava is one proud father now that his daughter Asianna has started her collegiate career with the University of the Philippines Lady Maroons in UAAP Season 82.
Asianna, 18, has now seen action for UP for two games. The most recent match was this Saturday, in a 48-103 defeat to the University of Santo Tomas Tigresses. It dropped them to 0-2 — UP’s 32nd straight defeat in the league.
There, the 6-foot-2 center had two points — the game’s first basket — in eight minutes and 23 seconds of play.
It is understandable that Asianna is seeing limited action since she’s still in her rookie year. So the former PBA MVP only reminded Asianna to simply learn and trust the process.
“Trust the process.
“I wasn’t expecting her to make Team A. I knew it’s gonna be a long process that she has to trim down, work on her skills, but she’s coming along fast than I expected. But it’s not just gonna stop now — even if she’s in season, the training still continues. We’re pushing her, [and] that way she’s setting an example or bar on how she should play, how she should compete,” Asi said.
“It’s (college game) not easy compared to high school — it’s two different ball games,” he added. “Girls are more in shape, girls are more aggressive, physical, so she’s just gotta adjust. This is a learning experience right now, freshman year. Hopefully, she gets better as the year progresses.”
But just like Asianna, the current NLEX Road Warriors slotman is also trying to learn. Taulava currently serves as assistant coach to Lady Maroons chief strategist Paul Ramos.
And just as he has told his daughter, Asi is approaching this new endeavor with patience.
“You gotta be patient. Lucky for me, I had advanced training with my daughters, so you gotta approach the game a little bit different. It’s not like the guys where you can just scream at them,” he quipped.
“This one you gotta be, ‘Hey girls, let’s go!’ But it’s fun It’s a new dimension of basketball.”
For the former PBA Most Valuable Player, playing under many great coaches like Chot Reyes, Tab Baldwin, and Yeng Guiao – among others – means he has plenty of inspiration. And it will all help him if he chooses to venture into coaching once he hangs up his sneakers for good.
“Lucky for me, I’ve played under so many different coaches. I’m just excited to watch and study, like whose style will fit into the way if I decide to try coaching,” said Taulava, a 22-year pro.
“But right now everything is a learning process. I’m just a student, still a student learning the game.”
