Pagbabalik ng Welcoat pormal nilang inihayag

Pormal na inihayag ng Welcoat Paints, isa sa pinakamahusay na koponan sa kasaysayan ng PBL ang kanilang muling pagbabalik sa PBL kahapon sa ginanap na PBL Board meeting sa Makati Coliseum.

Sa nasabi ring pulong, pormal ring inihayag nina team owners Raymond Yu at Terry Que ang pagtatalaga sa dating Shark coach na si Leo Austria bilang head coach ng koponan.

"We missed basketball and the PBL so much, and we’re very happy and very excited to get back," ani pa ni Que.

"It’s a brand new start for us, but we want to come up with the same competitive team that Welcoat is known for. And from the list of coaches, coach Leo Austria best fits the image of the team, being the other coach that has constantly beaten us in championship series," paliwanag naman ni Yu.

Sa kabila nito, sinabi pa ni Yu na hindi siya umaasa na magiging maganda ang kanilang pagbabalik sa conference. Sa ngayon wala pang nakukuhang manlalaro sina Austria at team manager Boy Lapid at ang kanilang tsansa ay nakadepende kung gaano kakompetitibo ang koponang kanilang mabubuo.

"Another championship stint? Probably, not this conference because it will be a brand new line-up. It will take some time for the team to jell just like before when we’re just starting in the PBL. But definitely, it will be a competitive one," dagdag pa ni Yu.

Kabilang sa kanilang inaasinta ay sina dating MBA players Reynel Hugnatan at ang 6-7 na si Jean Marc Pingress.

Bukod sa dalawa, puntirya rin ng Paintmasters ang mga dating manlalaro ng Ana Freezer Kings at mahuhusay na manlalaro mula sa NCAA at UAAP.