WELCOME BACK, WAYNE

Wayne Chism, the 27-year-old reinforcement made sure that his second tour of duty with Rain or Shine got off on a bright note as he towed the Elasto Painters to a 99-89 win over Alaska Friday.

Chism had a monster PBA return as he finished with a 20-20 statline – 24 points and 22 rebounds – that went with four assists to help Rain or Shine improve to 4-2.

And he’s just happy to be back.

“It feels good especially with the confidence the coach has in me because of the last conference that I was here,” Chism said.

The former University of Tennessee stalwart was actually Rain or Shine’s first choice as Commissioner’s Cup import. However, he was still tied up to a contract in Israel when the conference opened so the E-Painters brought in Rick Jackson for the interim.

Jackson didn’t do that bad, towing the team to three wins in five games. But still, the ROS coaching staff felt Chism was still a better fit. So the moment he got his release from Israel, Chism lost no time in flying back to Manila.

Playing with virtually the same team, Chism said that the confidence gained by the squad in the Philippine Cup helped the core improve and will go a long way in their bid to snag the 2015 PBA Commissioner’s Cup title.

“I feel they got better in the last conference without me and it’s great because there’s more confidence in them,” the 6-foot-9 power player said.

Feeling that he still has some unfinished business in the PBA, the decision to go back to the league was a much easier choice for him, though he knows the work that lies ahead.

“It’s gonna be a hard course to conquer, but I’m up for the challenge and it’s gonna be a long fight,” Chism said.

“Hopefully, the confidence given to me by coach will carry over to this conference and I can help the team get back to where the team was playing with me before, and that’s the Finals.” (RL)

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