Rain or Shine leadership named Chris Gavina as the new head coach of the Elasto Painters at the opening of the PBA Season 46 Philippine Cup in April.
Gavina will replace former head coach Caloy Garcia who will remain in Rain or Shine because he will serve as head of basketball operations.
“Saan ka nakakita na isang organization na nagpalit ng head coach pero magkakasama pa rin sila? This is to address the new landscape of basketball,” said Rain or Shine owner Raymond Yu.
Gavina will lead the Elasto Painters in its campaign, while Garcia will take care of the rest of the team.
“Coach Caloy will take care of the macro and see and find ways on how to improve the team while coach Chis will take care of the micro, which means he’ll be calling the shots in the game and preparations of the team,” said Yu.
Some of the management reasons are Garcia’s involvement with the coaching staff of Gilas Pilipinas who are preparing for the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers and FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament.
“We considered his long-term involvement with Gilas, and we don’t want it to be a distraction, so we have to make things workable for all of us,” Yu added.
Garcia generously accepted his new role in Elasto Painters.
“We support the management’s decision. For me, this is something new and a new challenge, but at least I’m still connected with basketball and with a much bigger role overseeing the day-to-day operations of the team,” Garcia said.
The role for Gavina will not be new because he has been part of the coaching staff of Elasto Painters for several years.
He also boasts the beautiful organization of Rain or Shine as if it were a big family.
“One good thing about this organization is we’re like a family, so when I was appointed head coach of the team where I’m already a part of was easy to accept. We’re a playoff contender, but we look forward to winning championships in the future,” said Gavina.
Gavina will first focus on pulling players into the PBA Annual Rookie Draft to strengthen their current lineup.