No better mentor for the young rookie than this PBA legend.
The third pick of the 2023 PBA Draft, big man Luis Villegas, is still continuing his rehab from a torn ACL and will be sidelined for a few more months.
But he is easing in quite well in his new team, the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, and a lot of it has to do with Yeng Guiao seemingly smitten by Villegas’ skill set and what he can bring to the table at the pro level.
The UE Red Warriors connection within Rain or Shine is helping, too.
Specifically, it is the Villegas-James Yap connection—the former a one-and-done UE big and the other a legendary Red Warrior. And it appears Big Game James has taken the former under his wing, so much that the 6-foot-7 center fondly calls the many-time PBA MVP his “kuya.”
“It’s been great getting to know Kuya James. I’m an alumni of UE, he’s a Hall-of-Famer from UE,” Villegas told Quinito Henson and Dyan Castillejo in Playitright TV. “Just talking to him and learning the stories and his times back then has been amazing. I’ve been learning from him a lot, and I’m excited to see him play.”
Villegas will be doing a lot of watching in the coming months, telling the Playitright TV hosts that he will get back on the court only in 2024. Even so, Villegas said his teammates and the Elasto Painters coaching staff have been getting him up to speed with the Rain or Shine system.
As he does, he will be watching a lot of his Kuya James. And he better take notes biggest soon enough, he might be sharing the same court with The Man with a Million Moves and bring that UE connection to the hardwood.