THIS early, rising star Gian Mamuyac of Rain or Shine is ecstatic to play alongside veteran playmaker Stanley Pringle.
While Pringle, who linked up with the Elasto Painters as a free agent in the off-season, has yet to attend his new team’s practices due to family matters in the United States, the addition of the one-time Best Player of the Conference should only make Mamuyac better.
“Alam naman natin kung ganoon ka-talented si kuya Stanley and bilang young player, si Gabe (Norwood), idol ko, and lagi kong tinatanong and I’m learning from him every day sa practice,” Mamuyac said. “So, dinagdagan pa ni kuya Stan so, being a sponge, learning as much as I can.
“Hindi pa namin pala siya naka-practice pero excited ako kapag dumating na siya, kukulitin at kukulitin ko si kuya Stan,” he added.
Pringle, 38, is expected to return to the country next month and join the Yeng Guiao-mentored Rain or Shine quintet in its bid to finally get over the hump after four straight stints in the semifinals—including all three last season, where the Painters all fell to the TNT Tropang 5G.
The 6-foot-2 Mamuyac said a trip to the Big Dance in the PBA’s 50th season set to open shop on Oct. 5 is their target
“Ang sabi ni coach Yeng sa amin na since na-reach namin ang semis four straight times, anything less than that becomes a disappointment,” Mamuyac said. “So, hopefully, makapag-finals naman, matalo naman namin, malagpasan naman namin iyong semis kasi nakakasawa na matalo sa semis.
“Pero hopefully, makalagpas kami ng semis and eventually win the championship for coach Yeng.”
The long break before the season-opening Philippine Cup should also bolster the Painters’ build-up as they try to end a nine-year title dry spell.
“Siguro, coming of semis ulit we’ll just build on that. Improve what we can improve. Mahaba-haba itong off-season,” Mamuyac said. “Sana, I mean, hopefully, magamit naming itong off-season to improve as a team and important din sa amin is to improve individually.”
