FIRST GAME, FIRST WIN FOR CHISM WITH RAIN OR SHINE
His PBA debut might have been delayed a little but Wayne Chism proved that he deserved his second chance in the Philippines as he debuted in style for Rain or Shine on Monday, leading the Elasto Painters to a 24-point beatdown of GlobalPort, 99-75, in the 2014 PLDT Home TVolution PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
Chism, who prior to the conference was considered to be a reinforcement by Barako Bull, bucked two early fouls in the first quarter and had a rousing double-double for his first game in the E-Painters camp to finish with 17 points and 16 rebounds.
“It’s a good way to break-in our import. We had some scary moments very early in the first quarter. He had two quick fouls and we had to sit him out for one whole quarter. But he learns fast and it’s a matter of learning the game, how it’s played here, and how the referees call a foul. Once he makes the adjustment, I think he’s going to get better,” said Rain or Shine head coach Yeng Guiao of his new import, who had previous stints in the NBA D-League, Turkey, and Hungary.
Paul Lee waxed hot from the rainbow country, as he went 5-of-6 to pace Rain or Shine with 21 markers, while rookie Raymond Almazan also had his double-double of 13 points and 12 boards in the game which turned to be the most lopsided in the conference.
“The locals responded well. They know our import can take care of himself, so I think that gives them a lot of confidence on themselves also,” Guiao added.
The feisty Cabalen coach admitted that it is a big risk in their part to change imports at this part of the conference, but he said it looks like their gamble has paid off.”Malaking epekto yung you get the right type of import. He’s been here for less than a week, and we practiced for three times. But I think he still has a lot to show and it’s a good risk. We took the risk of flying him in and making the painful decision to replace Alex (McLean), but I think it’s paying off,” Guiao said.
Despite being saddled with two early fouls, Chism roared in the get-go of the second quarter, as he quickly scored six points and alongside Chris Tiu and Gabe Norwood, established the 13-point cushion for Rain or Shine for the entirety of the game.
With Lee’s sweet-shooting from the outside and Beau Belga’s intensity in the third, the E-Painters just cruised to their third win to pull themselves back to .500 at 3-3, quashing every run the Batang Pier had in its arsenal.
“It’s his quickness and athleticism. He knows when to score and when to find his teammates. He can play inside and outside. He has a good defensive presence and I think he can run with the team. We are a running team. We play the open court. That’s what he brings to the team,” Guiao said.
GlobalPort’s woes continued in the Pido Jarencio era as they fell for the seventh time in as many games in his maiden conference at the helm of a PBA team and fell on a brink of being eliminated.
Evan Brock finished with 25 points and 13 rebounds, while Jay Washington and Ronnie Matias combined for 24 markers to lead the Batang Pier in the L. (RL)
The scores:
RAIN OR SHINE 99 – Lee 21, Chism 17, Almazan 13, Tiu 19, Belga 9, Norwood 9, Arana 6, Cruz 4, Uyloan 2, Chan 2, Nuyles 2, Ibanes 2, Rodriguez 2, Tang 0, Teng 0.
GLOBALPORT 75 – Brock 25, Washington 14, Matias 10, Cabagnot 7, Garcia 6, Chua 4, Salva 4, Sharma 4, Romeo 1, Yee 0, Ponferrada 0, Salvador 0, Macapagal 0.
Quarterscores: 29-26, 51-38, 75-62, 99-75.
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