NOBODY at Rain or Shine got to experience wearing the retro Welcoat Paints jersey in the past.
Except for one.
Team manager Jireh Ibanes was the only member of the present-day Rain or Shine team who put on the classic uniform the Elasto Painters sported during their PBA Philippine Cup game against Converge on Wednesday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
“Siguro dahil ako ang pinaka-matanda sa team na ito nung player pa ako,” he said of the times when the franchise wore the jersey bearing the old Dragons moniker from 2006 until 2008.
“Nakakatuwa kasi doon kami nagsimula, ako. Doon nagsimula yung franchise pag-akyat ng PBA. So I’m happy na na-experience nila to don the Welcoat Dragons.”
Ibanes said he had his jersey with exactly the same design personally framed and displayed in his house in the province.
“Hindi siya yung pinag-gayahan pero exactly the same design siya,” added the Rain or Shine executive.
Ibanes disclosed he and the team’s official outfitter Anta had been toying with the idea even before and put everything on draft before presenting it to co-team owners Raymund Yu and Terry Que.
It so happened the big bosses were also planning on relaunching Welcoat Paints in the market that it wasn't hard convincing them about the throwback jerseys.
And it appeared the uniform worked its magic too, as the Elasto Painters booked their second straight win with a 110-90 drubbing of Converge.
Veteran big man Beau Belga likewise made it a special night when he registered his first career triple-double of 25 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists, making him the first ever local player in franchise history to achieve the feat.
Chances are, this would not be just a one-night thing for the Elasto Painters, according to Ibanes.
“The Office of the Commissioner was gracious enough na inallow niya kaming mag-suot ng ilang beses this conference. So we have a few games pa na dark (color uniform) kami. Mag-go lang sila boss (Yu and Que), we’ll try and wear it again,” said the Rain or Shine team manager.
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