Guiao surprised to steal Teng in 2nd round

MANILA, Philippines – Jeric Teng’s face grew anxious as the draft went deeper on Sunday at the packed Robinsons’ Midtown.

Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao’s face, on the other hand, lit up when the UST standout was still available at no. 12.

“Nagulat kami. Di namin akalain na available pa siya sa no. 12. Actually, we’re supposed to get another guy at no. 12 pero nagpalit na lang kami ng desisyon namin dahil nandun pa siya,” Guiao told Philstar.com.

The Rain or Shine coach was already happy of their first round haul in soon-to-be NCAA MVP Raymond Almazan at no.3 and athletic wingman Alex Nuyles at no. 9. But lady luck smiled on them when Teng, who many believed should have been picked in the first round, fell on their lap in the next round.

Guiao saw it as a stroke of luck.

Teng saw it as a blessing.

“It’s a very deep pool so I’m just blessed to be drafted,” Teng told Philstar.com. “I’m just happy to be under coach Yeng and learn from him at sa mga veterans ng team.”

At Rain or Shine, Teng will have fellow Xavier alums TY Tang and Chris Tiu to guide him.

“Marami akong matutunan dahil tinuturing ko silang mga kuya ko,” added Teng, who was spectacular during the UAAP Finals where he almost led UST to the crown only to lose it in the end to his younger brother Jeron and the De La Salle Green Archers.

The first round snub will only make the son of former PBA player Alvin Teng raring to show what he’s made of.  

“Siyempre lahat ng mga players na na-draft in the later rounds ganun ang iniisip pero hindi ko na masyado iniisip yun. Magfo-focus ako on how can I help the team,” Teng said.

But while Guiao had already allotted spots for Almazan and Nuyles, Teng has a work cut out for him.

“Si Raymond saka si Alex makaka-crack kaagad sa rotation dahil napaghandaan namin yun in terms of preparing for a slot for them. Yung no. 12 pababa, hindi namin napaghandaan yun kaya tingnan na lang natin,” Guiao said.  

But Guiao, who considers Teng as the biggest steal of the draft, said that Teng is in the same level with Almazan and Nuyles in terms of readiness to show immediate impact in the league.

“They have the best preparation,” Guiao said.  

“Kung mamimili ka rin lang ng bagong mga players na sa tingin mo nakahanda, si Raymond, MVP ng NCAA, si Alex, one of the best athletes and scorers in the UAAP, si Jeric just came out of the finals and I think was the top scorer of that series. So there’s no better preparation than what these guys have gone through,” Guiao added.

The temperamental coach, who employs equal-opportunity system said that Teng’s arrival is a welcome problem.

“Magandang problema sa akin. We have guys in their spots already at I’d rather have that problem than a problem of lack of talent dun sa mga position na yun. It will only make our depth chart even better so masaya kami sa mga na-draft namin,” Guiao said.

Rain or Shine also took untested Gayford Rodriguez out of the University of Visayas Green Lancers in Cebu at no. 19 before passing up in the succeeding rounds.