Rain or Shine was one among the busiest teams during the preseason build up, taking in multiple players coming from the Rookie Draft, plus the biggest acquisition in the off season that is veteran star guard Stanley Pringle.
A seven-time champion coach, Guiao believes his team just needs a little bit of luck and as much as possible, avoid injuries, just to break that semifinals glass ceiling that would allow the Elasto Painters to reach the championship round for the first time in nearly a decade.
By keeping the core of the team that reached the Final Four of the same tournament last conference, Guiao is upbeat of the team’s chances and believes it’s only a matter of time for the Elasto Painters to finally enter the last dance.
“We’re trying to get ourselves more cohesive. Subukan natin baka maka-semifinals ulit or baka mas malayo pa ang marating,” said Guiao.
“For now, masaya na ako sa compostion ng line up ng team. Eto naman yung lumaban ng semifinals last conference. so siguro konting suwerte na lang, sana healthy sila. sana mabawasan yung injuries or walang injury kung maari lang. Pero tingin ko maganda yung chances namin this conference.”
But while they’re trying to get rid of injuries, one of the team’s key players, Leonard Santillan, suffered an MCL sprain that would require him to sit out the Elasto Painters’ first three games.
“Nailalakad ko naman, pero meron pa ring pain (yung tuhod),” said Santillan, who suffered the injury during the team’s preseason out-of-town game against the Merlaco Bolts.
Even when he’s sidelined, Santillan likes the team’s chances as the team is headed towards the right direction as indicated by the four straight semifinals appearances the Elasto Painters had — and they have all the reason to be more confident with the addition of Pringle, a four-time champion, whose winning experience will become more essential in the team’s objective of getting over that semifinals hump.
“Maganda chances namin, lalo na andito na yung Stanley Pringle namin,” added Santillan. “Hindi kami makukuntento na magi-improve lagi. Sani nga ni Coach (Yeng), hindi lang kami pang-semis. May goal kami na makapasok sa finals. Yun ang purpose namin this coming conference.”
But while expectations had gone higher following his inclusion in this up and coming squad, Pringle believes reaching the championship round will be a journey and cannot be achieved in a sprint.
“For sure, our ultimate goal is to win the championship and that’s the goal of every team,” added Pringle. “I never jumped into a situation where we would win a championship right away. It’s always a journey. It’s always a process. Step by step. I’m learning and building chemistry with the guys and see where I can help the team.”
Now reunited with Guiao, his coach in the Asian Games, Pringle expects that same old, tough mentality from his mentor.
“He’s a fierce competitor, never backs down,” added Pringle. “And you could tell it has manifested on the team and they’re playing like this. It doesn’t matter who they play. I’m trying to add to it, so hopefully, I can help them win some more games.”
