CAELAN Tiongson, the 32-year-old PBA rookie is ready to bring in his rich experience playing overseas to his new team Rain or Shine and eager to prove that it's never too late to pursue his dreams.
"You guys saw a 32-year-old rookie last year emerging as a top newcomer, so I don't know if you're forgetting about that so fast, but yeah, I'm excited," Tiongson, one of the the Elasto Painters' two first-round picks, told sportswriters during Monday's Media Day at the Le Parc Event Hall of the Metropark in Pasay City.
"I took good care of my body really seriously and feeling ready for the challenge for sure."
The 6-foot-5 forward was referring to Stephen Holt, who made a big splash last season in the PBA, helping Terrafirma reached the playoffs of the Phlippine Cup.
Holt has been traded to Barangay Ginebra in the off season along with Isaac Go for veteran players Christian Standhardinger and Stanley Pringle even as the third overall rookie pick was also thrown into the deal, which the league's most popular team exercised by drafting RJ Abarrientos.
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Tiongson, on the other hand, was selected seventh overall by Rain or Shine, which shortly after drafted another newcomer in Felix Lemetti, a US NCAA Division 1 player, who saw action for the Southern Utah Thunderbirds.
Known for his hustle and defense, Tiongson previously played for Strong Group Athletics, which won the recent William Jones Cup, but he also saw action for Taoyuan Leopards in the Taiwan T1 League two years ago, more than a year after temporarily stopping playing competitive ball to attend to important family matters in the United States. (RJ)
