Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) standout Nino Canaleta yesterday vowed to bring “puso” to the Taichung Suns after taking up an assistant coaching role with the T1 League team.
The 16-year PBA veteran, who reached the 2021-2022 T1 League finals with the Suns, said that the Filipino word “puso,” which means “heart,” embodies a desire to win even if his team are outnumbered or outgunned, he said in an interview.
“It’s not just about the talent. It’s about the hard work, the attitude, wanting to win, and playing hard every time,” Canaleta said.
Photo: CNA
Looking ahead to the rest of this season, Canaleta said that recruitment of big-name import players by other teams, such as the Taoyuan Leopards’ signing of eight-time NBA All-Star Dwight Howard, brought new challenges.
However, Canaleta said he remained upbeat and determined to help take the Suns back to the finals and win the championship.
“For the players, especially the locals, my goal is to see them improve [and] go back to the finals and win it,” he said.
The 1.98m Canaleta, 40 — nicknamed “K.G.” for his resemblance to his “No. 1 idol,” NBA star Kevin Garnett — is perhaps best remembered in Taichung for scoring 12 points in just 15 minutes, 18 seconds off the bench against the New Taipei CTBC DEA.
During his career in the PBA, Canaleta won the league’s Slam Dunk competition five times and was selected as Most Improved Player in 2013.
In a social media post earlier this week, the Suns said they hoped Canaleta would bring valuable experience and knowledge to the team.
Canaleta is to work alongside Suns head coach Chris Gavina, the first Philippine head coach in the T1 League.
After linking up with his countryman, Canaleta urged Filipinos in Taiwan to support his team just as they did last season.
“We Filipinos just love the game. Please continue supporting us. We love to see you at our games, mabuhay,” Canaleta said, using a Filipino greeting.
The Suns are now ranked fourth in the six-team T1 League standings with a 4-4 record and next face the GhostHawks in a road game at Chia Nan University of Pharmacy and Science Shao Tsung Gymnasium on Sunday.
Yu Yao-hsing on Tuesday nabbed Taiwan’s only goal in the final round of qualifiers for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup, as they fell 3-1 to Sri Lanka at Taipei Municipal Stadium. Early goals from Sri Lanka in the first half left Taiwan struggling to get on the board, and Christopher Tiao’s own goal at 53 minutes sealed the team’s fate in the third round of qualifiers. While acknowledging that the defeat, Taiwan’s sixth in Group D, was disappointing, head coach Matt Ross said he saw reasons to stay positive about the team’s development. “There were lots of positive signs in terms of the
Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli yesterday vowed to “keep raising the bar” after winning the Japanese Grand Prix to become the youngest driver in Formula One history to lead the championship standings. The 19-year-old Italian took advantage of a mid-race safety car to jump into the lead after a dreadful start from pole position, crossing the line ahead of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. Antonelli’s Suzuka victory came two weeks after the first grand prix win of his career in China, and sent him top of the championship standings after three races, nine points ahead of team-mate George Russell. Mercedes are struggling to
INDIGESTION: Italy failed to qualify for the World Cup for a third consecutive time after a 4-1 defeat to Bosnia on penalties in a loss Gattuso said was ‘difficult to digest’ Coach Graham Arnold on Tuesday challenged his players to “shock the world” after Iraq became the 48th and final team to qualify for the FIFA World Cup with a nerve-shredding 2-1 win over Bolivia in an intercontinental playoff in Mexico, as Bosnia and Herzegovina, Turkey, the Czech Republic, Sweden and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) also secured their places at the finals. Iraq, whose preparations were disrupted by the war in the Middle East, sealed their first appearance at the finals in 40 years and are to play in Group I against France, Senegal and Norway. Goals from Ali al-Hamadi
Teng Kai-wei, the only Taiwanese player on an opening-day roster in this year’s Major League Baseball (MLB) season, took his first win of the year with the Houston Astros in his season debut. Teng entered in relief in the top of the fifth inning against the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday, with the Astros trailing 5-0. He pitched 2-1/3 scoreless innings with two strikeouts, as Houston scored 11 runs during his outing to snatch an 11-9 comeback victory. The win is the Astros’ first of the season and the third of Teng’s MLB career. “It’s my first time pitching for the Astros, so
RSS