ANTIPOLO – It was a surreal feeling for Gian Mamuyac playing his former team of four years in Rain or Shine for the first time.
Even worse, the Elasto Painters dealt him and Phoenix Fuel Masters their first loss in the PBA Governors’ Cup, 105-98, Tuesday night at the Ynares Center.
READ: Rain or Shine puts end to horror start, pins first loss on Phoenix
“Malungkot siyempre dahil talo,” said the 27-year-old guard. ‘Siyempre to see and play against them, iba ang feeling kasi four years ko rin silang kakampi.”
“So malungkot kasi talo kami. Sila (Rain or Shine) naman ang masaya ngayon.”
But the competitive spirit eventually came about during the course of the game.
Mamuyac finished with eight points, two rebounds, and two assists in just his second game with the Fuel Masters since being acquired in a trade with the Elasto Painters last week.
At one point in the dying minutes, he was even called for an unsportsmanlike foul for accidentally hitting Andre Caracut in the face.
“Kita nyo naman hindi rin naman sila nagpigil, and vice versa rin naman,” a smiling Mamu said.
But the camaraderie built during that four year of being together wasn’t easy to let go.
Prior to the game, Mamuyac personally went inside the Rain or Shine dugout to see his former teammates, who rained him with a series of taunts and jeers.
“Pagka-pasok ko naman, binoo nila ako. So binoo ko rin sila,” he shared of that light moment inside the locker room.
But the high point of his pre-game act came when Mamuyac went out of his way and approached former coach Yeng Guiao on the Rain or Shine bench and briefly talked to him.
“Nag good luck lang ako and nagbigay lang ako ng respeto kasi siyempre four years din akong naglaro under him,” he said. “Nakangiti naman si coach Yeng sa akin, so OK yun.”
Their paths will cross each other again on August 9, and by then Mamu hopes the narrative is going to be entirely different.
“They’re the better team today. Hopefully, the next time we see each other, kami naman ang panalo.”
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