THE right mixture of youthful exuberance and veteran grit might be the one Rain or Shine is looking for heading to the coming 43rd season of the Philippine Basketball Association.
Not finding much success the past season, the Elasto Painters have tweaked their line-up starting the previous conference and now, it seems like they are headed in the right direction.
In two pre-season games thus far, Rain or Shine had shown growth and development as it listed wins with its chemistry slowly but surely working itself out.
The Elasto Painters tripped Phoenix and NLEX in their first two tune-up games in grinding fashion to start their preparation for the coming Philippine Cup with a bang.
Young gunners such as Don Trollano, Dexter Maiquez and Ed Daquioag are showing improvement, while veterans Chris Tiu and Beau Belga provide the stability and leadership the team needs.
In addition to its commitment of bouncing back, Rain or Shine has locked up rookie Rey Nambatac to a long-term deal.
The Elasto Painters just signed the No. 7 pick of the recent Draft to a three-year rookie deal to ensure his services.
The versatile swingman out of Letran was reported to have received a near-max contract.
He is expected to provide some much needed scoring and athleticism in the wing positions for the Painters.
On Tuesday, the Elasto Painters whipped NLEX, 96-89, in a PBA preseason game on at the Upper Deck Gym in Pasig.
The Painters trailed, 40-51 at the half, but suddenly erupted in the third, where they outscored the Road Warriors, 38-19, to grab a 78-70 lead going into the final quarter.
It didn’t stop from there.
In the fourth quarter, Rain or Shine even led by as much as 16 points, 87-71, with 10 minutes on a Dom Trollano jumper.
“We started slow,” said Rain or Shine Coach Caloy Garcia. “We had no energy in the beginning. But once we picked it up, we played a lot better,” he added.
Trollano les Rain or Shine with 20 points, while Maverick Ahanmisi added 16.
What made the win all the more impressive was that the Painters played without stars Raymond Almazan, Jericho Cruz, and James Yap.
Rabeh Al-Husseini led NLEX with 16 points and 10 rebounds while Kiefer Ravena added 14 points and five assists.
Meanwhile, Phoenix stunned Alaska, 89-85, with Matthew Wright scoring 17 points to lead the Fuel Masters.