Magnolia coach LA Tenorio joked that the offseason pickup of Raffy Verano was aimed at being a carbon copy of Rain or Shine.
‘I want all my players to be good-looking like Rain or Shine,’ said Tenorio, drawing plenty of laughter inside the press room following the Hotshots’ 90-75 victory over the Blackwater Bossing.
But in all seriousness, Verano is more than just a pretty boy, as his 12 points plus contributions on the defensive end helped Magnolia pull away and complete the comeback against the struggling Blackwater side.
It was the best performance of the conference for Verano, who, after being let go by his former team Phoenix, was signed by Magnolia shortly before the start of the season-opening Philippine Cup.
For Verano, he was only heeding Tenorio’s emphasis on stepping up when needed.
‘Like Coach LA said, it’s next man up, and I come with whatever minutes I have, defensively,’ said Verano. ‘I think that’s where I find my groove. And like what Coach LA says, what’s nice about this team is everyone can score, but he usually harps on defense.
Magnolia targets solo third in all-time PBA victories
‘So luckily, I’m the one that got my opportunities and scored today,’ he added while being thankful for being given a shot by Tenorio when ‘I just worked my butt off while training with them.’
Tenorio was quick to praise Verano and the rest of the team for having the right attitude as a collective unit, something that also eases the challenges of being a first-time coach.
‘It’s hard for them to trust a young coach, and that’s the natural tendency. But all of my players have a great attitude, not as a player but as a person. And that’s what I like about this team,’ Tenorio said.