RAIN OR SHINE TO RETAIN CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM INTACT
By Eddie Alinea
PhilBoxing.com
Mon, 30 May 2016
Perseverance, patience and prayers. These, according to Rain Or Shine coach Yeng Guiao, are qualities that made his Elasto Painters end a long, four-year exercise in futility and spelled their second championship in the Philippine Basketball Association.
The Pasig City-based Painters conquered title pretenders Alaska Aces, 4-2, in the two teams' best-of-seven gold medal series to stash away with the league's 41st season Commissioner' Cup a week and a few days ago at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
"We didn't give up. The players, the management, especially, including the utilities and our fans. We didn't quit. We persevered, waited patiently and most importantly, prayed that someday, our sacrifices and that of our families will finally be rewarded," the clean-shaven former Pampanga Congressman reminisced in a telephone interview a few days following the Painters' title conquest of the 2016 Commissioner's Cup.
"Ang tawag nga ng mga player namin doon ay '3Ps', which stands for perseverance, patience, prayer. And in the end, all our heartaches, sakit ng katawan na pinagdaanan namin ay nawala lahat. Finally, we saw the light at the end of the tunnel, as they say," he said.
"It' been a long wait, really. Four years from the time the Asian Coatings franchise won it's first title. It's like climbing the mountain and succeeding in reaching the summit, the former Univerity of the Philippine Maroon mainstsay said in reference to the 2012 Governor's Cup the team, jointly owned by boyhood friends Raymond Yu and Terry Que captured at the expense of B-Meg (now Star Hotshots).
"Yeah, that's right, four years," Yu and Que said in agreement said during a thanks giving party they tendered for officers and members of the PBA Press Corps Tuesday night. "Parang Olympic Games, every four years kami mananalo."
The basketball-loving pair, who've been permanent fixture's in the local shoot-and-dribble scene since they could remember, along with the franchise's representative to the PBA board, Atty. Mamerto Mondragon, lauded their players, members of the coaching team and staff for their undying efforts in doing their shares depite the difficulties they encountered.
"We know and appreciate what they went through, thesufferings they had to survive to reach this moment, Atty. Mondragon said. "We might not be the richest team in terms of resources, we might not be the strongest team in terms of manpower but we showed to all and sundry what sacrifices, selflessness and hardwork can do to succeed."
Guaio, who himself sacrificed not being on the side of daughter Niner, his and wife Jennifer's eldest, when she graduated with a master's degree in law at the Kingbridge University in London after failing to sweep the series despite leading, 3-0, is not resting on his laurels though. Not yet, anyway.
He has given his boys a two-week rest to enjoy the euphoria of their crown victory until June 6 when they will hold their first practice in preparation for the season-ending Governor's Cup.
"I'm giving them time to savor sweet victory before assembling them on June 6 for our first practice," the son of the late Pampanga Gov. Bren Guiao said. "Baka mawala ang momentum at tuloy kalawangin."
Guiao, who also played for Swift in the Philippine Amateur Basketball League during his playing days before serving as its commissioner when he retired playing later, disclosed he will keep his champion team intact despite 10 of his boys having expiring contracts.
"I will see to it that no player will be left out un-rehired," he vowed. 'Ngayon pang nakita na ang loyalty ng mga player sa team. We also have to show our loyalty to them."
The Painters' second title triumph is actually the seventh overall for Guiao, who also won a pair for Swift and three for Red Bull before migrating to Rain Or Shine. He, thus, overtook Dante Silverio, who he erstwhile shared the honor of having six championship wins.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Eddie Alinea.
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