Rain or Shine head coach Yeng Guiao is keeping their options open as the team looks for possible upgrades following another PBA semifinal exit.
But the champion mentor clarified that a major change isn’t necessarily the way they’re headed, as the Elasto Painters continue to trust the process.
“Hindi naman ‘yung busy na busy, ‘no,” he told reporters when asked if they’re planning a busy offseason ahead in an aim to improve their manpower.
“Kasi tingin ko, hindi naman kailangan ng malaking overhaul ‘yung team e.”
Guiao said as much on Sunday night, moments after Rain or Shine kissed its campaign goodbye after losing to TNT in Game 6 of their Season 49 Philippine Cup semis by way of a 97-89 result at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
There, his charges suffered another fourth-quarter collapse after sending the game into an 80-all deadlock with less than six minutes to go.
Coincidentally, Calvin Oftana, his former player in NLEX, triggered the decisive 14-2 run with a three-point play toward a 94-82 lead with 1:12 left to play. With that dagger, the Elasto Painters’ Finals hopes fell apart.
It could not be more frustrating for a team that just can’t seem to get over the hump. While there’s a sense of pride in becoming a consistent semis contender, reaching the Finals is and will always be the bigger goal.
To date, RoS has now been in four semis in a row, a streak that dates back to the 2024 edition of the All-Filipino conference. There, they lost to eventual runners-up San Miguel through a gentleman’s sweep in a best-of-seven series.
They have kept almost the same team from that campaign, and then added a few pieces from the last draft by picking Caelan Tiongson, Felix Lemetti, Mike Malonzo, and Ef Escandor — all of whom are in the present roster.
(C) PBA Images
The next PBA Rookie Draft is in September, but Guiao and his deputies are holding back their excitement. As of the moment, there are few updates about which prospects will throw their names into the ring.
According to the league’s stats chief Fidel Mangonon III, Rain or Shine, as it stands, will have the 10th and 12th picks for the Season 50 Draft.
“Kahit ‘yung Draft, dahil wala pa kaming nakikita talagang solid na pangalan, hindi rin namin inaasahan na makakapag-ano pa kami roon. Lalo na ‘yung pick namin is towards the end, or towards the tail of the first round,” Guiao said.
“So hindi pa rin namin pwedeng gamitin ‘yun, na punuan ‘yung kulang namin. Sa tingin ko, baka hindi ganun kalalim ‘yung Draft natin ngayon.”
For now, the team is waiting for their injured key cogs to recover — namely Beau Belga, Felix Lemetti, and Luis Villegas — and compete with them.
From there, they will assess matters better before deciding on any upgrades, which they feel could be of benefit in the long run.
“Ang importante lang sa’min, makabalik si Beau, makapaglaro si Luis, and then, makabalik si Felix,” said the 66-year-old bench tactician, who’s just wrapped up his seventh conference since returning to the Elasto Painters.
“Then maybe, we can think of an upgrade or two after that,” he added. “But we are open. We are open to upgrading our team from other sources.”
#WATCH: Coach Yeng Guiao believes having Beau Belga in the #PBA2025 semis could’ve made a huge difference for Rain or Shine against a banged-up TNT squad 🏀
📹 @justinebacnis /Tiebreaker Times pic.twitter.com/lD6oNaaJA5
— Tiebreaker Times (@tiebreakertimes) July 6, 2025
