Wayne Chism relishing second chance with Rain or Shine
Given another chance to prove his worth, import Wayne Chism immediately repaid the trust given to him by Rain or Shine.
The 6-foot-9 Chism celebrated a triumphant return on Friday night, dishing out an impressive 20-20 performance while leading the Elasto Painters to a convincing 99-89 victory over the Alaska Aces in the PBA Commissioner's Cup at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
Fresh from a stint in Israel with the Hapoel Gilboa Galil, Chism visibly slimmed down but remained a potent force in the lane, coming through with a team-high of 24 points while hauling down 22 big rebounds on top of four assists and three blocks in nearly 38 minutes of action.
Chism, who led the Painters to a semifinals finish in the same conference last season, is convinced he can lead to greater heights, thanks to the muuch-needed confidence given by Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao.
“It feels good with the confidence the coach has in me in the last conference that I was here. Hopefully, it carries over to this conference and help the team get back to the finals,” said the former University of Tennessee standout, who took over the spot from Richard Jackson.
Even Guiao readily admitted how Chism made his impact in the Painters’ second straight win and fourth overall in six starts.
“It’s a good thing, Wayne came in. He has adapted to our system—he knows the guys, he knows the system. And he’s in shape.
That helped us a lot in this game. Wayne’s game justifies his presence for us in this league. We weren’t mistaken in bringing him back,” noted Guiao.
With top guard Paul Lee nursing an injured left elbow, Chism got the job done in the lane while still getting enough lift from his local teammates, notably wingman Gabe Norwood in the closing minutes.
"I feel they got better in the last conferences without me. It’s great because there’s more confidence in them,” said Chism.
Although he made a successful comeback, Chism expects nothing less than a tough grind moving forward.
"It’s gonna be a tough mountain to climb but I’m up for the challenge and it’s gonna be a long fight,” he noted.
The Painters take a one-week respite before plunging back to action against the unpredictable Barako Bull Energy on Feb. 27 also at the Big Dome.
