YOUNG guns Anton Asistio and Gian Mamuyac are pumped to join forces with Ateneo buddy Ange Kouame as they reunite under the Rain or Shine (ROS) banner in the 42nd Williams Jones Cup.
The trio won a UAAP championship together and they hope to bring back the winning form for the Yeng Guiao-coached PBA squad tasked with representing the country in the Aug. 12 to 20 meet in Taiwan.
“I’m sure he’s going to be the same Ange (Kouame) who will go for every rebound and block every shot. I can’t wait for us to share the court in the Jones Cup and see how much better he has gotten,” said Mr. Mamuyac.
“He can really bring a lot to this team: His tenacity, his defense and his smarts. And post presence on offense and defense already makes a big difference,” said Mr. Asistio.
Mr. Kouame, one of Gilas Pilipinas’ naturalized players, was tapped to reinforce ROS along with American Nick Evans.
They will team up with Gabe Norwood, Beau Belga, Rey Nambatac, Jewel Ponferada, Leonard Santillan, Shaun Ildefonso, Andrei Caracut, Mark Borboran, Nick Demusis, Jhonard Clarito and Mac Belo against a slew of international opponents.
The E-Painters will launch their bid against Chinese Taipei’s Team A tomorrow with succeeding games against Chinese Taipei B, UAE, Qatar, Iran, Korean champs Anyang KGC, Japan Under 22, and University of California, Irvine. — Olmin Leyba