Rain or Shine is bringing in Nick Evans as an additional reinforcement for its upcoming campaign in the William Jones Cup in Taiwan.
Head coach Yeng Guiao said that the American forward would be teaming up with Ange Kouame, as the Elasto Painters’ management deemed it best to add another import to boost their chances in the August 12-20 invitational.
“Pinadala ‘yung lineup of teams and yung mga makakalaban natin, medyo malakas yung competition. So management decided to bring in another import,” he told the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Forum, Tuesday.
Evans, 35, is expected to provide not only size but also vast experience, which he has garnered in a pro career that began in 2012 and has seen him play in Canada, Switzerland, Albania, Lebanon, and recently Colombia.
His veteran wits will surely come in handy as RoS is set to face South Korean champions Anyang KGC, NCAA D1 school UC-Irvine, and teams from Japan, Iran, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates in the tilt, according to Guiao.
Should the Illinois native perform well enough, the champion mentor said that the team may consider him for the 2023 PBA Commissioner’s Cup.
“Hopefully itong import na ‘to, kung maayos lalaruin, baka siya na rin ‘yung gamitin namin for the next conference in October,” he told the weekly Forum presented by San Miguel Corporation, Philippine Sports Commission, MILO, Philippine Olympic Committee, and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR).
“Pero, of course, subject to his performance siguro dito sa Jones Cup, and ‘di rin namin alam kung papasa siya sa height limit kasi listed ‘to na 6’10, 6’9″ lang ‘yung limit ng next conference natin for PBA imports.”
Evans is expected to arrive over the weekend and join the team by Monday, giving him a few days of practice before flying to Taiwan.
Guiao admitted that there’s pressure since the Philippines is the reigning Jones Cup champions, but he still looks at the opportunity positively.
“Mahirap rito may pressure dahil ‘yung previous team, nag-champion,” he said, referring to Mighty Sports. “Kaya lang kung nakita natin nun, kung hindi apat, lima ata import nila. ‘Yung sa atin, talagang organic lang.
“Organic team ‘to na si Ange alam naman natin naturalized na, and then ‘yung isang import, baka ‘yun talaga yung import na gagamitin namin sa next conference. So, malaking difference between five imports and an organic team like ours. But nonetheless, titingnan natin, baka makapag-compete tayo.”
