For the second time in five years, Rain or Shine will be seeing action in the international arena.
Elasto Painters governor Atty. Mamerto Mondragon announced that they will be representing the country in the William Jones Cup that will be held in Taipei from 12 to 20 August.
No less than Philippine Basketball Association commissioner Willie Marcial and the PBA board of governors, headed by chairperson Ricky Vargas, issued the green light to the Elasto Painters, paving the way for them to compete in the prestigious invitational tournament.
Helping the Elasto Painters will be naturalized player Ange Kouame while the young core of Rey Nambatac, Anton Asistio, Gian Mamuyac, Leonard Santillan, Shaun Ildefonso and Andrei Caracut is expected to carry the cudgels for head coach Yeng Guiao.
"We're set to leave on 11 August," said Mondragon in a telephone interview with Daily Tribune.
"It's already a go for us."
Marcial said the Elasto Painters have what it takes to face the best club teams from the Asia and Middle East regions.
The timing is also perfect for the Raymond Yu and Terry Que-owned franchise as it is looking to keep itself sharp while the league is on a two-month break to give way for the staging of the 2023 FIBA World Cup.
"We are honored not just to represent the PBA, but also the country in the Jones Cup. The high-level competition will also help us to better prepare for the upcoming PBA season. We will give it our best shot and hope to bring honor to the country," Mondragon said.
This is the second time for the Elasto Painters to play in the international arena.
Five years ago, the Elasto Painters also accepted the challenge of playing in the 18th Asian Games, a tourney that was made more memorable when National Basketball Association star Jordan Clarkson made a last-minute appearance and powered the squad of James Yap, Chris Tiu, Paul Lee and Beau Belga to a fifth-place finish, the country's best performance in 16 years.
Tough challenges and high expectations await the Elasto Painters in the Jones Cup.
Since the tourney was inaugurated in 1977, the Philippines had won six titles, the last two coming from import-studded Mighty Sports in 2016 and 2019.
Other teams that represented the country and won a Jones Cup title were the Philippine men's basketball team in 1998 and 2012 as well as the San Miguel Beer-backed national quintet in 1985 and Northern Consolidated Cement-sponsored team in 1981.