Rain or Shine is going to represent the PBA in the 2023 William Jones Cup set on August 12 to 20 in Taipei, Taiwan.

Rey Nambatac of Rain or Shine Elasto Painters.

The league has gotten an invitation to join the prestigious tournament which will be coming back following a three-year lull due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

PBA Commissioner Willie Marcial said the PBA Board, through chairman Ricky Vargas, has already gave its stamp of approval to ROS participation in the tournament.

Marcial is convinced ROS has what it takes to compete against some of the best teams from the Asian and Middle East regions.

The timing couldn’t have been more perfect for the Raymond Yu and Terry Que-owned franchise which is also looking to keep itself sharp while the league is on a two-month break to give way for the staging of the 2023 FIBA World Cup.

“We are honored not just to represent the PBA, but also the country in the Jones Cup. The high level competition will also help us to better prepare for the upcoming PBA season. We will give it our best shot and hope to bring honor to the country,” ROS Board Governor and team manager Atty. Mert Mondragon.

The international level competition should also bode well for the development of the young core of head coach Yeng Guiao who has the likes of Rey Nambatac, Anton Asistio, Gian Mamuyac, Leonard Santillan, Shaun Ildefonso and Andrei Caracut.

The task of continuing the success of the Filipino teams in the regional cagefest now falls on Rain or Shine shoulders with the Philippines already winning a total of six titles in the past editions of the tournament.

The country first won the title in Jones Cup in 1981 with the Northern Cement team and then later on in 1985, playing as San Miguel Beer. The Philippine Centennial team also bagged the crown in 1998 before Gilas Pilipinas won it again in 2012.

Mighty Sports delivered the country’s last two titles, first in 2016 and in 2019 when Charles Tiu-mentored squad swept the tournament with a perfect 8-0 record.