Incredible offer for Thoss

It came from no less than Rain Or Shine co-owner Terry Que the other day. He disclosed that Elasto Painters coach Yeng Guiao offered the moon, sun and stars for Alaska center Sonny Thoss but couldn’t wangle a deal on PBA draft day last August.

“Yeng really wanted Sonny,” said Que. “He offered our first and second round picks this year plus our two first and two second round picks next year. That’s a total of three first round and three second round picks. But Alaska wouldn’t let him go.”

Still, the Painters got a gem in the draft with the seventh overall pick – guard Chris Tiu. Although Tiu strained his left hamstring in Rain Or Shine’s first game against Petron in the Philippine Cup last Oct. 3 and played only six minutes, Que said his impact was glaring. Que said he’s looking forward to Tiu’s return after a recovery period of four to six weeks. “We know about Chris’ ability to play but we’re amazed by his huge fan base,” said Que.     

Tiu, 27, played elementary and high school basketball with Xavier before moving to Ateneo where he saw action for five years. He suited up for Hapee in the PBL and Smart Gilas in two SEA Games, two Jones Cups, the Asian Games and the FIBA Asia Champions Cup and Championships. Fans are excited to witness the team-up of Tiu and Paul Lee in the Rain Or Shine backcourt.

Que said winning the Governors Cup was an unforgettable experience as Rain Or Shine became the third team to win different conference championships in the PBA last season. He said import Jamelle Cornley played through a knee injury starting Game 5 of the Finals against B-Meg.

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“Jamelle never told anyone that he was in pain,” said Que. “He didn’t want to bring down his teammates’ morale. He kept his injury to himself. No wonder in Game 6, he didn’t play so well. And in Game 7, he gave it his all. He must have taken a lot of pain killers. After the series, Dr. (Edgar) Eufemio checked his knee and told us he must have suffered the injury back in Game 5.” Cornley had a torn meniscus in his knee and underwent surgery at Cardinal Santos when the season was over. He’s still in town for rehab. The rumor is Cornley has fallen in love with a Filipina movie actress and might just stay around until he’s completely healed and ready to play in the Third Conference.

Cornley, adjudged the Governors Cup best import, scored 14 points in Rain Or Shine’s 97-81 loss to B-Meg in Game 6 but roared back to collect 20 points and 14 rebounds as the Painters won, 83-76, to clinch it in Game 7.

Que said the Painters could’ve barged into two Finals last season. In the Philippine Cup, Rain Or Shine went the seven-game distance with Powerade in the semifinals. “When it went to a Game 7, we were favored to make it to the Finals,” said Que. “But Powerade pulled through. Our players, especially Jervy Cruz and Gabe Norwood, did their best. Luckily, we made it to the Finals of the Governors Cup and won.”

As a bonus, Que and co-owner Raymund Yu treated the team to a holiday in Bangkok during the offseason. Wives were included in the traveling party that listed over 60 persons. 

Que said Guiao’s bid for Congress representing the first district of Pampanga has the franchise’s full support. Guiao is the first three-term vice governor in Pampanga history and has filed his candidacy for Congress. “Yeng knows how to manage his time,” said Que. “We’re hopeful he will continue to coach our team.”

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Que lamented the loss of Guiao’s long-time assistant Roehl Nadurata who succumbed to cancer last Tuesday. Guiao’s staff now consists of Caloy Garcia, Mike Buendia, Jay Legacion, Matt Makalintal and Ricky Umayam. Consultant Andy Jao is the alternate governor to the PBA Board.

To make room for Tiu, Guiao traded Ronjay Buenafe to Meralco. But before the deal, Rain Or Shine inked Buenafe to a three-year contract escalating to P350,000 a month. “We wanted to make sure of Ronjay’s future before he was traded,” said Que. “We would’ve liked to keep Ronjay but we wanted to give him a chance to play more minutes with another team. Although he was traded, we still took Ronjay with us to Bangkok for our trip.”

Aside from Lee and Tiu, Rain Or Shine counts on Norwood, Cruz, Beau Belga, J. R. Quinahan, Larry Rodriguez, T.Y. Tang, Jeff Chan, Ryan Arana, Ronnie Matias, Jireh Ibanes, Chito Jaime and Jonathan Uyloan. Ibanes, named the Defensive Player of the Year last season, is the only remaining original player of the franchise, then known as Welcoat, in 2006-07. His teammates in the team’s first season included Jay-R Reyes, E.J. Feihl, Joey Mente, Denver Lopez, Gilbert Lao, Adonis Sta. Maria, Rob Wainwright and Jojo Tangkay. Uyloan was undrafted in 2009 but cracked Guiao’s lineup because of his grit and toughness.