Rain or Shine wary of 6-foot-11 Taiwanese-American in Jones Cup opener

TAIPEI, Taiwan – Rain or Shine aims for a winning start to its grueling Jones Cup schedule when it tangles against the host Chinese Taipei Team A, which will be bannered by 6-foot-11 American-Taiwanese William Artino on Saturday, August 12.

Game is set at 7:30 p.m., with the Elasto Painters hoping to pull the rug from under the Taiwanese national team, which is expected to get a lot of boost from its home crowd.

More than that, the E-Painters are looking for a victory that could set the tone for their campaign, especially that they are set to play six straight games in as many days.

First, the E-Painters must neutralize Artino and veterans Liu Cheng and Ying-Chun Chen if they are to hurdle their first assignment.

Rain or Shine, headed by Alternate Governor Edison Oribiana and Redmond Yu, immediately went to work at the Taipei Heping Gymnasium upon arriving in Taipei on Friday, August 11.

"It's always good to start it with a win especially against the home team. We know the odds are stacked against us but we just have to believe that we can win. If we have a good start we usually have a good ending," said ROS deputy Caloy Garcia who facilitated the team's first practice.

Expected to lead the way for ROS are imports Ange Kouame and Nick Evans, although the team will also be relying on the young core of Rey Nambatac, Shaun Ildefonso, Anton Asistio, Santi Santillan and Andrei Caracut.