Welcoat ‘Rain or Shine’ targets PBL crown

Welcoat Paints will mark a new milestone when the Philippine Basketball League (PBL) stages its 2006 Heroes Cup starting on Oct. 29.

The Wel-Best franchise will carry a brand-new name Rain or Shine when it guns for back-to-back championships in the country’s premier amateur cage league.

A new name but same mission: Uphold its rich winning tradition that has become the legacy of Wel-Best franchise since it joined the league in 1996.

No other team in the league has overachieved the past nine years as much as Welcoat did, and team owner Raymund Yu is proud of the company’s history, and of course, its long list of achievements.

"I’m happy with what we achieved the past nine years. I did not imagine that we can play in the championships but we did. In fact, we won six titles, the most recent was the last conference," said Yu.

"But more than winning the titles, I’m doubly proud the way we play the game, the way fans accept us. That’s really gratifying." The Paint Masters played in the championships 10 times, including the previous four tournaments.

Yu told the media yesterday that Rain or Shine, an elastomeric waterproofing paint, had its soft launching in the market a year ago and it is now fast gaining popularity in the market.

"It’s a rubberized paint which when it dries, forms a flexible film that covers even a hairline crack of vertical walls," said Yu. "We hope Rain or Shine will also have the same exposure as Welcoat."

Rain or Shine comes in different colors: Classical and Modern. And both are resistant from ultra-violet light.

Easily, the highlight of WelBest’s campaign in the league was winning three straight championships — a grand slam of sort — starting in 1999, a feat that have made the Paint Masters one of the league giants — they remain the same until now.

With the departure of Anthony Washington and Leo Najorda, who both played roles in their title-clinching win last June, a retooled squad will challenge for the title starting next week.

Fittingly enough, the team will also have new faces: La Salle’s Jun Jun Cabatu, TY Tang and Pocholo Villanueva, Letran’s Ronjay Enrile and San Beda’s Uousif AlJamal whom coach Caloy Garcia believes will provide more firepower and stability to the team.

"They are young and exciting players, hope we can sign them up," said Garcia.

Also during the launching, Yu announced the appointment of former Welcoat coach Leo Austria as the company’s basketball operations officer.

The remnants of the team include JR Reyes, Jay Coching, Eugene Tan, Marvin Ortiguerra, Jojo Tangkay and Erwin Sta. Maria.