Gavina lays plans as new ROS coach

CHRIS GAVINA started his job as Rain or Shine head coach in earnest and invited 10 potential rookies to the team’s training camp this Thursday and Friday at the Reyes Gym in Mandaluyong City.

“We have two groups of five rookies who we will look at on Thursday and Friday in our [non-contact] training camp,” Gavina told Businessmirror on Wednesday, two days after his promotion to head coach by franchise coowners Raymond Yu and Terry Que.

Gavina said they invited University of Perpetual Help’s Ben Adamos, Santi Santillan and Letran’s Larry Muyang, along with National University’s Troy Rike and Filipino-australian James Laput in Thursday’s camp.

On Friday, the team will look at Far Eastern University’s Alex Stockton, De La Salle’s Andrei Caracut and Aljun Melecio, Filipino-canadian Loren Brill and Brian Enriquez.

“I’m really confident that we can get a quality player at No. 5 in the Rookie Draft and we will try to see a diamond in the rough in the second round,” he said. The Philippine Basketball Association scheduled the online draft on March 14.

The Elasto Painters are picking fifth in the first round of the draft and 17th, 22nd and 23rd in the second round.

In the absence of a rookie camp or scrimmages, the PBA allowed teams to invite rookie aspirants to their skills and conditioning sessions.

Rain or Shine management tinkered with its coaching staff on Monday, promoting Gavina while elevating former head coach Carlos “Caloy” Garcia as active consultant for the upcoming season.

Gavina was head coach of Kia (now Terrafirma) from the 2016 to 2018.