By REYNALD MAGALLON
Rain or Shine is now beginning its buildup, hoping to be finally in full force for the PBAs 50th season with offseason acquisition Stanley Pringle and injured big man Luis Villegas joining the team.
The Elasto Painters are coming off a splendid year that saw them reach the semifinals on all of the three conferences although they were visibly in need of veteran presence during those runs especially with Beau Belga also sidelined with his vertigo issues.
There are high hopes within the team that the addition of a veteran and championship caliber player like Pringle could help the team finally get over the hump in the next season.
Meanwhile, after being sidelined for the majority of the last season, Villegas is also set to rejoin the team and boost a frontline that also featured Belga, Keith Datu and Leonard Santillan.
Having a difficult time staying healthy after having issues with the knee injury that he sustained prior to getting drafted, Villegas went under the knife again for a knee reconstruction, hoping that this time, he will finally be available for the Rain or Shine.
The size of Villegas along with his outside shooting could be a great weapon for the Elasto Painters especially since they were outmatched inside the paint during its last semifinals series against the TNT Tropang Giga.
The two are seen as a big addition for ROS which is looking to bank on rising stars Adrian Nocum, Andrei Caracut, Gian Mamuyac and Santillan. The team also has the chance to further strengthen its roster in the upcoming PBA rookie draft.
