CAELAN Tiongson made his PBA debut on Tuesday, and contributed immediately in Rain or Shine’s win to start its PBA 49th Season Governors’ Cup stint.
Tiongson had 15 points, five rebounds, and two assists in the Elasto Painters’ 110-97 win over Blackwater. The 32-year-old was efficient from the field, shooting 5-of-10 from the field, while also making two threes.
Rain or Shine’s seventh pick in this year’s draft had a solid first game despite dealing with an illness.
“I was a little bit worried about Caelan. He called in sick this morning. I think he had fever and diarrhea,” Guiao said.
“Worried ako baka hindi siya makalaro pero nakalaro siya,” he added.
Tiongson took the blame for his situation prior to his first PBA game.
“Ibuprofen, a lot of anti-inflammatories, things like that,” said Tiongson, when asked how he was able to deal with his illness.
“I’m still getting acclimated to the country. We had a couple of practices where the gym was red-hot. I didn’t do a better job of getting my vitamins and minerals, staying hydrated. It was all good."
As for his performance, Tiongson deflected the credit to his teammates and Guiao for the opportunities that put him in position to be successful.
The former Biola University player also said he will always find a way to contribute for the Elasto Painters in the other aspects of the game.
“Coach Yeng does a great job of getting all of us confidences. Really just coming in and trusting my teammates, they also trust me. Some games it’s not going to be scoring. Some games it’s going to be defensive rebounding. Tonight, I happened to shoot a little more. It was just easy, my teammates really made it easy,” said Tiongson.
After a win where Rain or Shine led by as many as 21 points, Tiongson already likes the composition of his team which he thinks is very deep and can compete against the best in the league.
“In terms of depth, I think it will be hard for teams to really compete. I can name five, six, seven guards and five, six, seven bigs who are ready to come in to contribute, whether it be rebounding, points, everything. We have a talented squad for sure,” said Tiongson.
After playing sick on Tuesday, Tiongson looks forward to gaining his full strength in the coming days as Rain or Shine goes up against Barangay Ginebra on Saturday in Candon City, Ilocos Sur.
“I’m ready for a rest day tomorrow for sure,” said Tiongson.
A rest that he definitely deserves.
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