For Rain or Shine head coach Yeng Guiao, 32-year-old rookie Caelan Tiongson is worth the gamble.
“Hindi namin kukuhain yan if he’s not worth the gamble,” the seven-time PBA champion told Pinoystep.com. “Although there’s no total guarantee na tama kami, but we believe he’s worth the gamble.”
Tiongson signed only a few days ago and although he only did some light workouts with the Elasto Painters, Guiao believes he’ll be an integral part in Rain or Shine’s campaign in the coming PBA season, which begins with the Governors’ Cup on August 18, featuring imports not taller than 6-foot-6.
“The Kadayawan Tournament in Davao was supposed to be the platform where we’ll be able to see Caelan perform along with our other two rookies, but medyo na-late nga kami ng pagpapapirma kay Caelan because he was playing in the William Jones Cup,” added Guiao.
“Although he joined us in Davao and did some light practices with us, we felt it would be better for him to observe and get to learn his teammates and the system more.”
On Thursday, Tiongson will have his full contact practice with the Elasto Painters and much will be expected on the seventh overall pick, who was one of the two selected players of the squad in the first round.
“We have an idea on how he plays and we believe he’s at the peak of his basketball career. That’s why we signed him up for three years and in those three years, we expect him to be at his peak and immediately help us. Of course, if he gets even better, perhaps we can sign him up for a longer term,” added Guiao.
According to Guiao, Tiongson is not just your typical player who would put in the points, but he’ll have a more vital role in filling in the missing holes lacked by the squad.
The fiery mentor had a more fitting description on Tiongson’s skill set.
“Right now, Gabe Norwood is still our top defensive player, but I see Caelan succeeding Gabe as a player who serves like a Swiss Army Knife for us. He’s one player capable of defending players at every position,” added Guiao.
