MANILA, Philippines — Rain or Shine seeks to rekindle its glory years in the PBA with Chris Gavina at the helm.
After serving as Caloy Garcia’s assistant the last three seasons, Gavina was elevated to the top coaching post of the franchise looking for its first title since the 2016 Commissioner’s Cup.
“He brings with him several years of experience as a coach in both the PBA and MPBL,” the Elasto Painters said of their new mentor.
Prior to joining ROS in 2018, Gavina called the shots for Mahindra/Kia (now Terrafirma). He steered the franchise to its first quarterfinal appearance in the 2016 Governors’ Cup.
The 42-year-old Gavina is also the chief strategist of the Bacoor Strikers in the MPBL.
Gavina takes over a squad that reached the semifinals thrice in the last six conferences but failed to progress beyond.
“We’re a playoff contender but we look forward to winning championships in the future,” said Gavina, who will embark on this quest with veterans Beau Belga, James Yap and Gabe Norwood and young guns Javee Mocon and Rey Nambatac as team anchors.
Garcia was bumped up to the role of active consultant and head of basketball operations.
“Garcia will now be providing his veteran experience and leadership for the benefit of the team on and off the court,” Rain or Shine stated.
The 45-year-old Garcia was ROS’ head coach for the last five years.