D-League MVP Moala Tautuaa ready for the pros

PBA D-League Foundation Cup MVP Moala Tautuaa

Crowned as the 2015 PBA D-League Foundation Cup MVP, Moala Tautuaa admitted that there were some things he wished he accomplished in his two-conference stay in the developmentals.

“I left some business off the table. I wanted some championships, but we came up short,” he said.

After leading Cagayan Valley to a runner-up finish in the Aspirants’ Cup, the Fil-Tongan big man was unable to solve the puzzle that was Hapee, as Cebuana Lhuillier bowed out of the competition in the semifinals after three grueling games.
Tautuaa, though, offered no excuses.

“We came up short. We dealt with injuries and missing players. We didn’t click when we needed to. But the bottomline is we came up short again,” he said.

As he closes one chapter in his basketball career, he opens another as Tautuaa is now preparing for the 2015 PBA Rookie Draft.

Seen by scouts as a consensus top pick, the 26-year-old said that he doesn’t mind the praise given to him but instead is focusing on the bigger role that awaits him in the PBA.

“It doesn’t bother me. I’m here to play basketball and that’s what I do. I just take it as I can. If I do well, great. If not, then I just got to deal with the results,” he said. “I’m ready to play for whoever wants me and bring what I can and make sure to get what they can out if me.”

And he’s taking the hard lessons from the D-League with him as he makes the jump to the pros.

“I learned to just continue to play through it. You have to work hard and continue to do your thing. There will be people with you and a lot against you, but you just got to make sure to get everything you want and you don’t want to leave anything in the table,” said Tautuaa.

“I’m just here to play hard and that’s what I’m going to do.”