ONE MORE TIME
Its like a new lease on life for Wayne Chism.
Sent home by Barako Bull due to contract disputes in the Hungarian League before the conference began, the former Tennessee Volunteer forward made the most of his second chance after coach Yeng Guiao tapped his services for Rain or Shine.
And boy, did he deliver.
The 26-year-old Chism had 17 points and 16 rebounds for the E-Painters in his debut game, a 24-point rout of GlobalPort on Monday.
Although he was whistled for two quick fouls in the opening minutes of the game, Chism came alive in the second and never looked back.
“I feel good. It’s a great game and I played very well for my first game,” Chism said. “It took me three quarters, actually, to adjust. After that, I was ok.”
Though Chism already played a bunch of preseason games for the Energy, he accepted his fate and prepared himself for the challenge that lies ahead for Rain or Shine.
“That stuff happens. You’ve got to adjust to your new team. If you can adjust, it’s going to be very easy,” he said.
He also noted that Guiao’s 15-man deep rotation has helped him take away much of the pressure.
“It’s actually pretty good to not have that much pressure for my first game cause I just got here and I still have to get used to everybody, but it feels pretty well,” he said. “It was worse than a monkey (behind my back). It’s a gorilla. It’s big. It was a tough one. There was a lot expected in my first game. Specially if we lost, it would’ve been tough. I’m glad that I delivered the win for my team.”
Chism added, “I played pretty well and my team came and played very well too. They picked up the game and it’s a very good game for us.”
When asked if his second time in the Philippines has already made him feel at home, Chism answered in the affirmative.
“I’m glad that I’m here,” he said. (RL)
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