RAIN or Shine buckles down to work in the 2023 Williams Jones Cup right away as it faces host Chinese Taipei right on its opening game on Saturday at the Taipei Heping Gymnasium.
The national team of Taipei will be led by regulars Liu Cheng and Ying-Chun Chen, although still to be determined is whether 6-foot-11 American-Taiwanese William Artino is in the lineup for the Blue team of coach Sang Mao-sen.
Chinese Taipei-A, however, could miss the services of two-time Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) All-Star Ray Chen, who is still recovering from an ankle operation.
The game against Chinese Taipei set at 7:30 p.m., is the first of six straight games that Rain or Shine will be playing in the tournament that is making a return after a three-year absence due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Up next for the Elasto Painters are the Chinese Taipei-B on Sunday featuring American-Taiwanese brothers Adam and Robert Hinton, who plays for US NCAA Division 1 school Cornell University.
On Monday, Rain or Shine tackles United Arab Emirates, followed by Qatar, Iran, and reigning Korean Basketball League (KBL) and East Asia Super League (EASL) champion Anyang KGC.
After a break on August 18, coach Yeng Guiao and his team take on the Japan U-22 team and UC Irvine of California to cap its campaign.
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“We’ll be playing eight games in nine days. May one-day break lang kami,” said Guiao, who will be coaching in his third Jones Cup. “The format is the same previously, kung sino ang may pinakamaraming panalo, yun ang champion.”
Rain or Shine resumed practicing last Monday with import Nick Evans finally on board to join naturalized player Ange Kouame as the team’s reinforcements.
The team also announced its official roster composed of Gian Mamuyac, Gabe Norwood, Anton Asistio, Shaun Ildefonso, Mac Belo, Andrei Caracut, Jewel Ponferada, Mark Borboran, Jhonard Clarito, Leonard Santillan, Rey Nambatac, Beau Belga, and Nick Demusis.
The Elasto Painters leave for Chinese Taipei on Friday morning.
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