Caelan Tiongson finally takes his shot in the PBA

Caelan Tiongson, playing for Strong Group Athletics in the Jones Cup, is one of the aspirants in this year’s PBA Rookie Draft. –SGA PHOTO

Caelan Tiongson once set aside his basketball career for a regular job back in the United States, but is now looking at taking the next step of playing in the PBA.

“It feels like a long-time coming,” said Tiongson, seen as one of the early names to be called in the PBA Rookie Draft on Sunday at Glorietta in Makati City.

Tiongson, 32, is projected to be an early first-round pick owing to his impressive credentials of playing in the defunct Asean Basketball League and Taiwan’s T1 League.

READ: As deadline expires, PBA Draft pool suddenly ‘interesting’

But there was a time when Tiongson, known for playing the small forward and power forward positions, had decided to call it quits after playing for Alab Pilipinas in the ABL back in 2019.

“I was just thinking about being home with my family after some of the hardship of playing basketball overseas,” said Tiongson.

He recalled taking a sales job in the US, before deciding to take another shot at a hoops career by playing for Taiwan’s Taoyuan Leopards in 2021.

READ: Justine Baltazar, RJ Abarrientos lead PBA Rookie Draft aspirants

It was with the Leopards that Tiongson was able to add some aspects to his game.

“I was actually playing for a young team, so they asked a lot from me,” he said. “I’m a team player who can play within the system. But in Taiwan, they asked me to score a lot so I was able to develop that part of my game.”

Now Tiongson looks to bring those skills into the PBA, a league he holds with high regard.

“I think it’s gonna be a competitive league, for sure,” he said. “I love the pride, I love the fanbase that comes with each team. So I’m expecting to have a lot of fun.”