Time-built Painters ready for battle

Rain or Shine Elasto Painters coach Yeng Guiao during a game against Converge in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup.–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

By October, the current edition of the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters will officially have spent two years under seasoned coach Yeng Guiao.

That means the young core of Jhonard Clarito, Andrei Caracut, Anton Asistio, Shaun Ildefonso and Gian Mamuyac has seen enough battles alongside fixtures Santi Santillan, Beau Belga, Mark Borboran and Gabe Norwood.

Guiao said such a feat is already an achievement considering how most teams in the PBA are put together.

“This is a big deal for us, to be able to form a competitive team this way,” he told the Inquirer in a mix of English and Filipino. “Doing so is hard for us independent clubs compared to other big companies. What we build for two years, they build through just two phone calls.

“For us, we shaped this team through player development. We’re not like other teams [that get to this level] instantly like making coffee. In our case, before you get to taste the coffee, you have to plant the tree, and fertilize the soil, even. Other teams just harvest.”

Guiao has long been outspoken about how other teams seem to have it easy when acquiring talents.

The former national coach has been a big, dissenting voice on the recent trade that shipped Barangay Ginebra’s Christian Standhardinger and Stanley Pringle, two former Best Player of the Conference awardees, in exchange for young Terrafirma standouts Isaac Go and Stephen Holt. That deal included a Draft Day pick swap which also allowed the Gin Kings, a traditional powerhouse, to land overseas veteran and former Gilas cadet RJ Abarrientos at No. 3.

“To me, that is where real value is,” Guiao said. “We brought together pieces through the long and tedious process (of player development).”

“But I know we still have to prove something,” he went on.

With a capable lot in hand, the next step, according to Guiao, is to actually win. Fortunately, the Elasto Painters managed to craft a nifty springboard last season, making a good account of themselves during the last Philippine Cup, where they made the Final Four for the first time in nearly five seasons.

“At least, during the All-Filipino, we were able to make the semifinals. That’s a good enough development for me,” he said.

Rain or Shine will try to scale new heights starting in a couple of weeks, with rookie Caelan Tiongson—an overseas veteran—in tow.

In Tiongson, the Painters finally get another player versatile enough to play outside his conventional position. Guiao even likened his new pickup to a Swiss Army knife, and pegged to be integral for young forwards Keith Datu and Luis Villegas.

The Elasto Painters are also set to parade Filipino-Swedish guard Felix Lemetti and former La Salle standout Francis Escandor in the season-opening Governors’ Cup beginning Aug. 18. INQ