It’s final: SBP to send Guiao-coached Rain or Shine core in Asian Games

Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

The Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas on Sunday reaffirmed its initial decision to send the core of Rain or Shine as the country’s representative in the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta.

The Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas on Sunday reaffirmed its initial decision to send the core of Rain or Shine mixed with members of Gilas cadets and other PBA stars as the country’s representative in the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta.

In a press conference, the SBP also announced that NLEX head coach Yeng Guiao, who once led the Elasto Painters to a couple of PBA titles, will be calling the shots.

Maverick Ahanmisi, Chris Tiu, Gabe Norwood, James Yap, Beau Belga, and Raymond Almazan are the six players taken from Rain or Shine.

Globalport’s Stanley Pringle, Magnolia’s Paul Lee, Blackwater’s JP Erram, TNT’s Don Trollano, San Miguel’s Christian Standhardinger, and NLEX’s Asi Taulava were the other PBA players in the mix.

Gilas cadets Kobe Paras and Ricci Rivero were also added.

Guiao said they will start practice on Monday and will fly to Jakarta on August 14, right after he trims the roster to a final 12-man lineup.

“One reason why it was Rain or Shine’s core was these guys are familiar with me and I’m familiar with them,” said Guiao Sunday at Smart Araneta Coliseum. “There are five to six other guys coming from other teams but we feel that we can gel them together.”

Ahanmisi, Norwood, Belga, Tiu Almazan, Trollano, Lee, and Taulava have all played under Guiao in the PBA while Yap got to play with the seven-time champion coach in the international stage in 2008.

Plans of a Philippine team joining the Asian Games were finalized on July 26 with the SBP and the PBA agreeing that the Elasto Painters, along with some members of the Gilas Cadets, will be playing in Indonesia.

However, those plans were scrapped before the day ended with SBP claiming that they need to regroup after the incident Gilas Pilipinas got involved in with Australia in the Fiba Worla Cup Asian Qualifer.