NEW TAIPEI CITY (Chinese Taipei) - It sure has been a busy season for Taoyuan Pauian, yet fulfilling nonetheless.
The Pilots on Tuesday night added another milestone to their 2024-25 run by booking a trip to the Basketball Champions League Asia-East (BCL Asia-East) 2025 Final 4 after dominating Bishrelt Metal at home.
Coach Iurgi Caminos and his wards became the first to reach the Semi-Finals, a feat per se for a team that's been bringing glory and honor not just to the club but to the entirety of Chinese Taipei hoops as well.
"Happy because it's a season that we are going to be in another Final - we had the EASL and now we have the P.League+," the Spanish mentor said after their 105-66 victory at the Xinzhuang Gymnasium.
"And to be in the BCL Asia East Final 4 is something to be happy about, and we are ready to go there and fight."
Stacked has been the ongoing season for Taoyuan. While in the midst of their P.League+ (PLG) campaign, they had to do a juggling act balancing their time as they also took part in the East Asia Super League (EASL).
Despite the busy schedule, the team showed how much they can adapt on the fly, and proof of it was their memorable run in the EASL that saw them go all the way to the Final, eventually settling for a runner-up finish.
Less than two months later and the Pilots booked a second successive appearance in the PLG Finals after clinching the no. 1 seed during the regular season, and are set to face the Taipei Fubon Braves.
Now, they're bound for the BCL Asia-East Final 4, doing so by securing the top spot in Group A as they chalked up their fifth win in as many games following that massive rout of their Mongolian counterparts.
Making it all the more impressive is the fact that they accomplished as much still with a game to spare in their calendar, thus the delight on Caminos' part that Taoyuan have done so at this part of the tournament.
The win serves as a huge morale booster, especially as they head into the PLG title bout.
"Happy with the win, happy to really ensure that we are going to be in the Final 4," said the Spanish bench tactician. "We have to play in the Finals of the P.League+ soon, so it's really important to go with confidence."
It's not only the 46-year-old that's left beaming with pride with what they've all been able to reach this season.
Star guard Lu Chun-Hsiang felt elated, too, particularly with their growth as a unit.
For starters, the 27-year-old winger has seen so much since selected by Taoyuan Pauian during the 2020 Super Basketball League Draft that he's practically grown into one of their leaders at this point.
It was evident in their rout of Bishrelt Metal. There, he finished with a game-high 26 points on 9-of-14 shooting from the field, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists in only 21 minutes as he helped set the tone early.
Lu was all smiles after and that's because he couldn't be any prouder of the Pilots' progress in this season alone with all the international experiences they've gotten under their belt, for it's led to where they are now.
Earning a shot at competing in the highest club competition in Asia, that is.
"From our experiences from other competitions to now playing in the BCL Asia East, everybody knew that we were a team with young players but now, we're playing more and more team basketball," he reflected.
"We're sharing the ball a lot. And these experiences are helping us a lot to reach the BCL Asia East Final," he added. "Because we know that we have more experience; we no longer look like a young team."
The thought of competing in BCL Asia against the champions of FIBA West Asia Super League, B.League, KBL, CBA, and the PBA is alluring, no doubt, given the immeasurable experience it could give to the participants.
But Lu would rather stay on an even keel and stay in the moment.
"Step by step," he offered.
FIBA