Taipei, Jan. 8 (CNA) Taichung Suns head coach Chris Gavina told CNA on Saturday that his relationship with former Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) standout Nino "KG" Canaleta is "deep" as they understand one another from working together in the past.
The 16-year PBA veteran, Canaleta, who reached the 2021-2022 T1 LEAGUE finals with the Suns, took up an assistant coach-player role with the club this season, helping players improve and share with them his valuable experience and knowledge.
The 1.98-meter Canaleta, 40 -- nicknamed "KG" for his resemblance to his "No. 1 idol" American NBA star Kevin Garnett -- is perhaps best remembered in Taichung, where he scored 12 points in just 15 minutes and 18 seconds off the bench in a game last season 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.
"He'll be transitioning to our big man and shooting coach. He will play a pivotal role in the development of our players in that aspect," Gavina said.
Both men are of Philippine nationality.
Speaking on their history together, Gavina said Canaleta played for him in the PBA under the KIA franchise, when it earned its first and only playoffs berth during the Governors' Cup in 2016.
"He's played for me as well in the PBA and so my relationship with him is pretty deep and we understand one another, and I think he will get to that point where he'll know what kind of information he will need to feed me as we move forward," Gavina said.
Gavina was speaking after the postgame press conference of a dramatic 16-point, 105-89 loss to the TaiwanBeer HeroBears at the University of Taipei Tianmu Campus Gymnasium.
During the game on Saturday, the HeroBears led the hustle to end the first quarter in the lead 28-22, before extending their advantage to an 11-point deficit, 48-37, with 1 minute and 46 seconds left in the first half after a fast break two-handed throwdown by HeroBears new recruit Perry Jones.
The first half ended with the HeroBears in the lead 53-41.
The second half returned with the Suns rallying to attack furiously and stepping up their full court press to cut the deficit to 69-68 after small forward Chen Ching-huan (陳靖寰) drove in a bucket from downtown with two minutes and 12 seconds left in the third quarter.
Even though the Suns later overturned the scoreboard to end the quarter in the lead 73-72, the HeroBears fired back in the fourth quarter, charging ahead to secure a 20-point lead, 103-83 after captain Chiang Yu-an (蔣淯安) followed through from a coast-to-coast play with only two minutes and 35 seconds left in the game.
The HeroBears didn't budge and held down its defense for the remainder of the clock as the Suns went cold in its shooting, enabling the Taipei-based team to win the game 105-89.
Jones led all scorers with 29 points, six rebounds, seven assists, two steals, and one block.
The HeroBears now have a 6-5 record and is tied third in the standings with the Tainan TSG GhostHawks, moving up from fourth place after the latest win at the University of Taipei Tianmu Campus Gymnasium while the Suns remain fifth place with a 5-7 card.
Tainan GhostHawks defeat Kaohsiung Aquas
Meanwhile, also in the T1 LEAGUE Saturday, the visiting Tainan TSG GhostHawks defeated the defending champion the Kaohsiung Aquas 101-92 at Kaohsiung Arena.
Aquas center Mindaugas Kupšas led all scorers with 22 points, nine points, and two blocks, shooting 9-12 floor and 4-4 from the stripe.
GhostHawks point guard Ku Mao Wei-chia (谷毛唯嘉) answered with 19 points, eight rebounds, and four assists, shooting 5-7 from the floor, including one from beyond the arc and 8-10 from the free-throw line.
Cheng Chih-lung takes over as Kaohsiung Steelers head coach in P. LEAGUE+
In Taiwan's other professional basketball league, the P. LEAGUE+, Taiwanese basketball legend, Cheng Chih-lung (鄭志龍), has taken over the helm of the struggling Kaohsiung 17LIVE Steelers as head coach, the southern port city club said in a statement.
A highly celebrated basketball player, who retired in 2001 and later took on coaching roles, Cheng has led Taiwan in various international tournaments, winning gold in men's basketball in the 1997 East Asian Games, held in Busan, South Korea.
Cheng was also the first Taiwanese to play in China's Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) where he played alongside Yao Ming (姚明) with the Shanghai Sharks between 1999-2001.
The 1.91-meter-tall highflyer is also known among Filipino fans owing to his medal-winning battles since the Asian Youth Championships in Manila in the 1980s, earning him the moniker "American Ninja," according to Philippine media. He's mixed race with an American father and a Taiwanese mother.
The Steelers are currently last in the six-team P. LEAGUE+ rankings after winning only one out of 14 games so far this season.
New Taipei Kings top Hsinchu Jko Lioneers
Also, in the P. LEAGUE+ on Saturday, the visiting New Taipei Kings topped the Hsinchu Jko Lioneers 103-85 at Hsinchu County Stadium to extend its winning streak to six games and its lead at the top of the six-team league standings with a 12-3 card.
Kings guard Joseph Lin (林書緯) shot 6-6 from beyond the arc to contribute to a total of 22 points.
The Kings are now at the top of the standings with a full game in front of the Taoyuan Pauian Pilots with a 10-3 record.
The Lioneers are now tied fifth with the Formosa Taishin Dreamers, which are 6-8.
