Rain or Shine made the most out of its opportunities, so why the team got quite a haul during the recent PBA Season 50 Draft.
Coach Yeng Guiao offered his comments after the Elasto Painters picked a total of eight players in the selection proceedings, including five in the first two rounds.
“We just wanted to take advantage of the situation,” the champion mentor told reporters shortly after the event at the SM Mall of Asia Music Hall, Sunday night. “Meron kaming dalawang first round, meron kaming tatlong second round.”
Rain or Shine owned two picks in the first round, specifically nos. 10 and 12, which it used for Christian Manaytay and Jun Roque, respectively.
Guiao and his staff then utilized their 20th and 22nd picks on Mark Omega and Deo Cuajao in that order, making that one school in Muralla beaming with so much pride as the franchise drafted three Letran Knights consecutively.
The Elasto Painters capped off their Round 2 picking spree by getting La Salle product Joshua David before choosing 3×3 vet Cole Micek, UE product Kyle Tolentino, and ex-JRU guard MJ Dela Virgen in the next three rounds.
While he acknowledges that their selections may not be as “ready-made” as some of their peers in terms of bringing impact to the team in no time, the 66-year-old bench tactician is positive about the upside they all possess.
“Sa tingin ko, wala tayo ‘yung mga superstars na ready-made, na magkakaroon ng immediate impact. Pero I feel the potential of these guys is on the high side,” said Guiao, who personally attended the Draft Combine last September 4-5.
He’s also willing to give these hopefuls a chance to prove themselves worthy, since they may discover the second coming of some players who have undeniably flourished under the tutelage of the fiery coach.
“We would like to see how they will fare in our practices. There are very few slots available sa team namin pero titingnan din natin, because ‘di mo alam kung you might get surprised by any of these guys,” he said.
“‘Yung difference nung early picks doon sa late picks, hindi ganun kalaki eh. Parang tsambahan lang din ‘to. Baka meron kang makita riyan na magiging Jhonard Clarito o magiging Adrian Nocum, ‘no.”
#WATCH: Yeng Guiao hopes heās uncovered gems in his #PBADraft picks, led by Christian Manaytay and the Letran trio š
š¹ @justinebacnis /Tiebreaker Times#PBADraft pic.twitter.com/sb0Rz80x1X
ā Tiebreaker Times (@tiebreakertimes) September 7, 2025
