By Waylon Galvez

For a team that went to the playoffs for the first time in franchise history, it’s not surprising if Rain or Shine will aim for a Final Four slot this time around.

That’s the modest goal of Rain or Shine coach Caloy Garcia and team owners Raymund Yu and Terry Que as they prepare their squad for another tough mission in the Motolite-PBA Fiesta Cup.

In the previous Philippine Cup, Rain or Shine, formerly Welcoat Paints, earned its first playoff berth when it claimed an outright quarterfinals seat.

Though the Painters were swept by then defending champion Sta. Lucia Realtors in the best-of-three series, the management and coaching staff were overjoyed by their accomplishment.

To do that, however, Yu and Que understand that the team needs to double its effort.

"We hope we can better our performance last conference," Yu said. "But to do that, we have to work really hard from the start. Though we lost in the quarterfinals, it was already a big accomplishment for Rain or Shine."

They also hope to draw another fine performance from Jay-R Reyes — easily one of the league’s fast-rising stars.

Then there are the trio of rookies in Gabe Norwood, Sol Mercado and Ty Tang, who all provided the Painters the class, savvy, firepower and stability, which they lacked in their first two forgettable seasons in the PBA.

The emergence of Reyes as among the elite big men, as well as the arrival of Norwood, Mercado and Tang put Rain or Shine as among the popular teams in the PBA right now.

"We have already a huge following, so we have to play as hard as we can and continue to entertain the crowd with our brand of basketball," Que said. "Despite the crowd support, it is paramount for us to raise our level of game."

One thing that is crucial in their campaign, according to Garcia is the conditioning and health of his players.

"If we are all healthy till the end of the conference, then I’m sure, we will be out there fighting to our best ability," he said.

The 6-foot-5 Norwood, the leading candidate for Rookie of the Year award, had just recovered from over-fatigue while they will miss the services of forward Allan Salangsang due to injury.

Garcia, however, is confident that import Charles Clark can rise to the challenge this time even though the team has agreed to have a standby import in Norwood’s ex-teammate at George Mason University, Jai Lewis.

"He has improved a lot since last conference and I’m happy with his performance during our tune-up games," said Garcia.


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