IS it just a coincidence that three of Rain or Shine's most important draft finds over the last three years came from the San Juan Knights?
Or is there more to it?
If there are similarities among Jhonard Clarito, Adrian Nocum, and Mike Malonzo other than being impact players for Rain or Shine in the Philippine Cup, it is that all three played for San Juan in the MPBL before making the jump to PBA.
Clarito, currently the hottest player in the PBA playoffs, was a member of the last San Juan team to win a national championship in 2019 and capped his MPBL stint by reaching the national finals again the following year.
READ Guiao didn't even like Clarito the first time he saw him play
Nocum was already playing for San Juan in the MPBL even when he was still with the Mapua Cardinals in 2021. The flamboyant guard joined the Knights full-time in 2023, earning Rookie of the Year honors as well as an All-Star selection.
Malonzo, on the other hand, played for the San Juan Knights at the end of his stint with the NU Bulldogs before declaring for the PBA draft.
Curiously, all three ended up at the Rain or Shine camp over the next three seasons. All three were also mid-draft pick-ups by the Elasto Painters.
The 6-2 Clarito was selected in the second round of the Season 47 draft at 17th overall - the third Rain or Shine pick-up in that draft pool after former Ateneo standout Gian Mamuyac (fifth overall) and Shaun Ildefonso (No. 10).
Nocum was the last pick in the second round of the Season 48 draft. He was the fourth player selected by RoS in that draft pool after Keith Datu (No. 4 overall), Luis Villegas (No. 3) and Henry Galinato (No. 15), who was later traded to TNT.
Malonzo was drafted 16th overall the following year behind Rain or Shine pickups Caelan Tiongson (No. 7), Felix Pangilinan-Lemetti No. 8), and Francis Escandor (No. 13).
All three former Knights ended up as great mid-draft gems for Rain or Shine.
So is there some kind of tie-up between the two organizations?
RoS coach Yeng Guiao broke into a smile when asked about it, although he, too, was amazed that eerily similar career paths of Clarito, Nocum, and Malonzo took them to San Juan before reaching the Elasto Painters camp.
"Wala naman," Guiao laughed when asked about any San Juan connection for the Rain or Shine organization, "although Sen. Jinggoy [Estrada] keeps rubbing it in that lahat daw ng galing na players sa San Juan magagaling talaga.
"Could be true," he added.
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Actually, Rain or Shine's biggest connection to San Juan is Guiao himself. The veteran coach grew up in the Greenhills area, a childhood friend of Sen. Estrada and a neighbor of NLEX coach Jong Uichico, who he just beat in the quarterfinals.
But as far any tie-up with the Knights is concerned, Guiao said there is none.
"Purely coincidence lang," he said.
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