By REYNALD MAGALLON
Rain or Shine head coach Yeng Guiao might have expressed satisfaction with the consistency of his team but the veteran tactician admitted that the team will still try to look for ways to improve the lineup in hopes of finally overcoming the hump.
The Elasto Painters made it to their fourth straight semifinals appearance in the PBA Season 49 Philippine Cup but just like the previous three, the wards of the fiery mentor failed to make it to the Finals.
It was even the third straight time ROS got the boot from TNT, falling after six games this time, following a pair of 4-1 series losses through the first two conferences of the season.
“They need to experience disappointments, playing with the good and tough teams, and closing out games. Kaya kami matagal nag-usap para mag-evaluate at mag-analyze. Wala naman akong pinagalitan, kasi tingin ko, overall, it’s still a positive conference for us,” said Guiao.
While it was a mark of consistency for Guiao, he admitted that there’s still a lot to be done to have a more formidable squad.
While he wants his players to use the offseason to improve themselves, ROS isn’t entirely closing doors on improving the lineup either through the draft or by acquiring new pieces.
“‘Di naman kailangan ng malaking overhaul. Ang importante lang sa amin, makabalik si Beau, si Luis, and si Felix. And then we can think of one or two upgrades,” he added as ROS sorely missed their big men against the tall TNT frontline.
“Pero kahit nga yung draft, dahil wala pa kaming nakikitang solid na pangalan, di pa kami nakakapag plano lalo na yung pick namin towards the end of the first round, so di namin pwedeng gamitin yun to fill kung anong kulang namin.”
“But, we are open to upgrading our team from other resources,” furthered Guiao.
Despite the semis exit, ROS remains brimming with potential with a team built around its core of Adrian Nocum, Gian Mamuyac, Andrei Caracut, Jhonard Clarito and Santi Santillan.
