From dual-sport athlete to gold medalist, Fiji’s Vilisi Tavui builds upon strong values at Fordham University
Being active has always been in Vilisi Tavui’s bloodlines.
Movement was always key for the Fiji native, whether it was keeping up with her siblings or pursuing her love of sport. But Tavui almost didn’t pursue basketball. In fact, the netball star didn’t step on the basketball court until she was 16 years-old. While other kids were practicing layups, she dreamt of feeding another type of ball to her teammates.
But her sporting trajectory changed during her high school years — one that ultimately led the Nausori, Fiji native to represent her country on the hardwood, then put her on a plane 12,745 km (approx 7,919.3 miles) away to the Bronx, New York. Now on a basketball scholarship at Fordham University, Tavui has found her calling on the basketball hardwood while also helping the growth of women’s basketball in her home country.
Hailing from a country where the culture structures itself as a big family, Tavui’s native roots are shared by Fordham assistant coach Valerie Nainima. Originally from Rakiraki, Fiji, Nainima worked as development officer and high performance manager for Basketball Fiji. After playing for coach Stephanie Gaitley at Long Island University in Brooklyn, N.Y., she mentored the Fiji National Under 19 teams to the 2014 FIBA — USP U19 Oceania Championships. It was there in Fiji that she saw Tavui’s potential bloom.
“Coach Val, our assistant coach is from Fiji, too so she scouted me when I went home,” Tavui explained.
The six-foot-four center’s time on the basketball court started when she was 16 years-old and despite a late arrival to the game, caught on to it quickly. Her development soared and included stints with the Under-18 team and various camps.
Her relationship with coach Nainima continued to grow as she trained with the Fiji Select Women’s Basketball team, where she played against the Chinese National U18 team in Suva, Fiji’s capital. She also represented Fiji at the first-ever FIBA-organized Oceania Pacific Youth Leadership Basketball Camp in in Australia.
There were also times that Tavui would simultaneously train for both the U18 Fiji basketball team and on her netball teams.
“When I was playing netball I started playing Under-18s for Fiji. Last summer we just had the South Pacific Games [for basketball] which are held in Samoa so I was able to go and play.”
Her hard work soon paid off, as she earned a spot on Fiji’s senior team that secured its first ever gold medal at the South Pacific Games, a women’s 3x3 tournament held in Samoa. However, there were some logistical challenges when it came time to connect with her teammates upon selection. Thankfully she wasn’t the only one, as most of her teammates came over overseas, too.
“I knew of them,” Tavui said of her teammates.
“Half the team was basically from America they were coming from overseas and the others were pretty much at home so I didn’t get to practice with them until a week before the tournament started so I had to adjust.”
It’s no question that netball was Tavui’s first love. When she wasn’t playing with or taking care of her seven siblings, she was on the netball court.
“I played netball before I played basketball so I spent all my life playing that,” she explained.
Her talent didn’t go unnoticed, landing her an opportunity to play netball on scholarship through Auckland, New Zealand-based Saint Kentigern College for years 12 and 13. While there she was introduced to basketball and soon started training with both teams.
“I went to New Zealand specifically for netball because I got the scholarship. But when I went to Saint Kentigern they gave me the opportunity to play both [netball and basketball],” she said.
Although she was new to the game upon landing in the City of Sails, she’s confident in the developments she’s made.
“Considering I picked it up really late I’m still learning about the game. So far I’ve developed a lot,” she said.
Tavui’s upbringing began in Nausori, a small town composed of roughly 47,000 people, where being raised in a large family is common. She’s one of eight kids, growing up alongside five boys and two sisters.
“I come from a big family. I have five brothers — they played rugby but I was the only one that played sport among the girls,” she said.
Even with a large household, Tavui remains grateful to this day about how she was brought up.
“I love the culture: it teaches us how to be humble and just work hard for something that we want in life and the teaching our family gives us from young til now, it’s big.”
“It teaches us how to be humble and just work hard for something that we want in life.” — Tavui on the values instilled by the Fiji culture
Tavui has also come into her own in since joining the Rams. Although she was sidelined during the 2017–18 season due to injury, she was named to the Atlantic 10 Commissioner’s Honor Roll. She’s relished every piece of her experience through it all, including a 2019 Atlantic 10 Tournament title.
She’s not alone in her travels from across the world: she’s joined by juniors Kendell Heremaia and Zara Jillings from the neighboring country of New Zealand. While it’s a big stage with elevated skill levels, what she’s drawn to the most is the culture that’s fostered by coach Stephanie Gaitley and her staff. It was this key piece that powered the team to the 2019 Atlantic 10 Tournament championship campaign: a shared vision. Although it’s easier said than done, Tavui appreciates how the staff and team take steps to maintain that goal, whether at practice or during a game.
“I love how everyone has the same shared vision,” she said.
“Everyone just trusts each other. We recently had one of our psychologists come and talk with us and everyone pretty much touched base on how everyone has each other’s backs and the team is making sure everyone’s alright.”
Although the transition from Fiji to New Zealand, then New Zealand to New York, wasn’t easy at first, Tavui is grateful for her experiences that helped shape her as an individual, as she got a taste of the student-athlete life in New Zealand.
“I think my experience in New Zealand prepared me for this because it was hard making the transition from Fiji to New Zealand, and from there to here,” she said.
“I would say it’s really tough although I kinda got a taste of what it’s like to be a student-athlete in New Zealand. When I came here it was a different level. The program had a really good support system to help me.”
“I love how everyone has the same shared vision.”- Tavui on Fordham’s team dynamic
In terms of looking ahead for the future, she hopes to continue with basketball after she finishes her career in the maroon and white. She also plans on pursuing her masters in International Studies while still playing with the Rams. Regardless of where she ends up, both endeavors are in motion to set herself up for success post-graduation.
“I’d love to gain a professional [basketball] career after I finish Fordham but I’m also aiming at my academics as well because I’m able to do my masters. So either way I have a plan A and B,” she said.
Standing on the court in the Rose Hill Gymnasium, Tavui fondly remembers fantasizing about living in New York when she was a child. Now she gets to live that dream as a local.
“I love the city in general. I used to watch it in the movies and now I get to live it. I’m like a local now, you know? I know how to get around the trains and famous places.”
Tavui will return for her junior year on-court in the 2020–21 season and plans to pursue her masters degree in International Studies after graduating with her bachelors this coming fall.
