Tautuaa gets fresh start with Globalport: ‘I’m going to work as hard as I can’

It’s no secret that Moala Tautuaa hasn’t had much individual success when he joined the PBA in 2015 as the top overall pick.

Tautuaa’s first two years in the PBA were met predicaments outside his control as injuries hampered the fun-loving big man throughout his stay with TNT, bruising his rib in early 2017 with the pain lingering for much of the year.

Those injuries may have limited Tautuaa’s on-court production, but that didn’t have an effect on his psyche as he now tries to start off on fresh legs with for Globalport.

Tautuaa was part of a blockbuster trade that sent him and two future draft picks to the Batang Pier’s camp in exchange for shooting guard Terrence Romeo and Yousef Taha.

“It’s a new start, a fresh start, and I’m going to work as hard as I can,” said Tautuaa after their Thursday practice Green Meadows clubhouse. “I’m in this spot where I was given an opportunity with a great team and I just got to go as hard as I can for them.”

Tautuaa will look to improve on his Philippine Cup numbers, when he averaged 8.64 points and 7.82 rebounds during the eliminations, under the tutelage of fiery Globalport head coach Pido Jarencio.

And the newly minted Batang Pier already took a liking to Jarencio’s explosive demeanor, a far cry from the calm and collected approach of Tautuaa’s previous coaches in Jong Uichico and Nash Racela.

“He’s good, he’s got that fire in him and he’ll get mad when needs to but he’ll encourage when he needs to,” said Tautuaa. “He sets that balance and it’s good especially that for this team we got a lot of tools.”

Tautuaa joins a Globalport team that has Kelly Nabong who anchors the middle, Sean Anthony who stabilizes the wings, and Stanley Pringle who have worked as the team’s general since 2014.